Fisheries committee  I think the information they would give today would be very accurate, as a matter of fact, because all processors are required to send DFO copies of our purchase receipts, the documents that we provide to sealers to show what we purchase from them. These numbers, I would think, are extremely accurate.

Fisheries committee  Yes. Certainly by delaying the opening date somewhat, you allow the animals to mature. With a quota of x number of animals, by delaying the opening date to the appropriate date, whatever that should be--as Wilfred mentioned, it changes from year to year as the animals mature differently--you maximize your take, and that is important.

Fisheries committee  It's unfortunate. This year, for instance, the harvest started on Wednesday. Good Friday was two days later. Not every year, but frequently, Easter runs into the main part of the sealing season on the front, especially. The gulf is usually finished by then. Of course, for federal bureaucrats, Good Friday and Easter Monday are holidays.

Fisheries committee  With the race mentality, when we're into a competitive fishery, as the seal harvest is, it will exist no matter what we do. It would be almost impossible to totally remove it. The veterinarians we met in Halifax last year talked about the use of the hakapik. One thing was to palpate the skull to ensure that the animal was rendered what they termed irrevocably unconscious.

Fisheries committee  Down through the years, too many times we've gone with facts and numbers, and as I said, these people are not interested in facts; it's an emotional issue. It's the biggest fundraising for these protest groups. They have used and still are using the pictures of the whitecoats being killed, with the tears running out of their eyes.

Fisheries committee  No, I'm talking about having a call centre or something to handle the hails from the sealers to DFO.

Fisheries committee  Down through the years, of course, from the beginning, the vessels over 35 feet in length, 35 feet to 64 feet 11 inches, were required to hail. These vessels are registered. Right now, a lot of the hunt or a lot of the harvest takes place with smaller vessels, those under 34 feet 11 inches.

Fisheries committee  Yes, but it affects us as well, because we make decisions as a company on how much we're going to pay for seal pelts, based on the entire TAC being taken. We know what the TAC is to be. For instance, last year we knew the TAC would be 325,000 animals. So we make a financial decision based on getting the entire TAC, that it be taken, and we compete with other processors to get all this TAC.

Fisheries committee  It's a mad dash for the quota that's out there, certainly.

Fisheries committee  There's no doubt about it.

Fisheries committee  That's right. They're not keeping up with the number of sealers and the number of boats that are out there on any given day.

Fisheries committee  I'm trying to get it all in, in quick time.

Fisheries committee  I guess if I sound nervous, it's because I am. I'll introduce myself. My name is John Kearley. I'm the general manager of Carino Company Limited. Carino operates a large sealskin processing facility in South Dildo, Trinity Bay, in Newfoundland and Labrador. Carino Company was incorporated in Newfoundland in February of 1957, as the first overseas subsidiary of GC Rieber & Co of Bergen, Norway.

Fisheries committee  Yes, I'm sorry.

Fisheries committee  I don't have a summary. However, of course, as Mr. Byrne said, everybody has a copy. I guess I do not necessarily have to read it in its entirety.