Fisheries committee  There are some examples to follow in some jurisdictions. There are some in Australia. We have international examples of some RFMOs--regional fish management organizations--having moved in this direction. Generally I think we can learn from each other, but nobody has it all right at this point.

Fisheries committee  Thank you. We had about 200 arrangements with groups of fishermen in which we had entered into agreements with fishermen. These agreements would involve services that the department would provide in order to fund those--and this is a generalization, of course, given the numbers--but in order to fund those, there were two options.

Fisheries committee  We're developing with the stakeholders, first nations, and commercial fleets, etc., the means by which we'll achieve the outcome being sought, to integrate first nations fishers into commercial fishing under the same conservation framework, and with the same rules generally applying to all people participating in that fishery.

Fisheries committee  You have described the problems facing the fishing industry and the fisheries. That is why we have undertaken discussions in the regions, with the provinces, to attempt to resolve these problems. An announcement will be made April 12. There are a considerable number of changes to fisheries policies.

Fisheries committee  The PST—Pacific Salmon Treaty—is due for renegotiation in 2008. We need to determine with our American friends whether or not we wish to roll over the provisions that we have now, or seek to reopen it. So that's the nature of the discussions we're in right now, and after we've gone through that process we'll determine what the next steps are.

Fisheries committee  The process actually started last Sunday, with meetings here, and led to discussions in Newfoundland to come to ground on the issue of the kinds of controls that would be placed on the fishing of those groundfish quotas. That was essentially all the discussion that took place.

Fisheries committee  I think we have to hear from all the parties on all of the elements. One part is how the quotas will transfer, then there are all the arrangements between the province and companies involved. All of those have to come together. It may be settled in the next few days, but it may take longer in terms of all the details around the legal drafting, the contracts and all that kind of thing.

Fisheries committee  There are still discussions going on today, but I think we're getting to the point where they understand enough about what we're doing to ensure that they can make an informed decision.

Fisheries committee  That community traditionally was reliant on groundfish. Unfortunately, that area of the Scotian Shelf, 4VsW, is really not doing well in terms of groundfish. The cod quota in that area, when we put the moratoria on 15 years ago, was around 20,000 tonnes of spawning stock biomass.

Fisheries committee  Right now, the price for aquaculture products is fairly good compared to recent past numbers, and it's a very profitable process. The wild salmon is sockeye, and there are a lot of sockeye there, and there are other species in that mix that are very desirable on the market. There is a niche market for wild fish that provides more value.

Fisheries committee  When you look at the main estimates, you're actually looking at the budget of the aquaculture management division. Those are the people who look at coordinating support for the industry, etc. There are a lot of other people, obviously, who are engaged in the regulation of the aquaculture industry.

Fisheries committee  It's a fairly complex jurisdiction. When somebody comes forward looking for an aquaculture site, they come to Fisheries and Oceans relevant to the Fisheries Act and habitat provisions. The Navigable Waters Protection Act is administered by Transport Canada. That may trigger a CEA, which is administered by the agency.

Fisheries committee  I think there are two issues. One is displaced workers and towns where there are no longer any fishing or fish processing activities; the other is the older worker issue, which the deputy has talked to. There's actually a growing concern in the industry about labour shortages, both for crew as well as for processing jobs.

Fisheries committee  We could try for the end of the month or the first week of June.

Fisheries committee  I think the difference now is that in NAFO conservation enforcement measures, the sections there don't give a choice. If you find certain types of infringements and they're confirmed, then what happens is the vessel shall be pulled back to port for further inspection. The vessel that went back over the course of the weekend was virtually empty.