Fisheries committee  In terms of our proposal, basing it on the 2008 EI program, the reason for this is that landings are so low in certain areas that people may not be eligible, based on 2009 landings. We did a little calculation at the beginning of the season when our lobster prices were $3.00 and $3.50.

Fisheries committee  Yes, just in terms of marketing, there is the regional lobster round table that's in process and has been now for a couple of years. They've established a subcommittee that will be submitting proposals to a new marketing fund that's become available for seafood products. We hope that will be the beginning of a long-term international approach to both marketing and sales.

Fisheries committee  It might be interesting for the committee to note that on Tuesday evening my board of directors had the opportunity to meet a recent immigrant from China, through the P.E.I. provincial nominee program, who says he's interested in buying every lobster in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Stoffer, it can't be one size fits all. The biology of the animal, for example, differs from place to place. In the warm waters of Prince Edward Island it matures a lot faster than it does in the colder waters of Newfoundland or Cape Breton. Those are the types of things that have to be taken into consideration.

Fisheries committee  In Prince Edward Island we've begun what we're calling our provincial lobster round table. This has been going on for six to eight months now. Issues are discussed there with industry, the province, and DFO, with outside assistance from the university and community organizations.

Fisheries committee  If I can speak for P.E.I. and perhaps the three maritime provinces—at least in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence—I'd say it's been since the late 1990s. Certainly the organizations were lobbying for assistance for rationalization in the Northumberland Strait as early as 2001, and were able to access money from crab distribution in 2004 and 2005, in minimal amounts, to buy out a few fleets.

Fisheries committee  It remains a wild fishery. There are no quotas, so it's basically get as much as you can in the short time you have available.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Blais, thank you. I think there is a host of ideas and notions that have to be considered. The one you raised is one that we've discussed internally for some years now. We've offered the suggestions to government. They certainly haven't been picked up on to this point. Essentially the only protection for fishers is the EI system at this moment.

Fisheries committee  The EI issue is vital. Already as a result of the decrease in prices last year, we've seen a number of bankruptcies. There are a number of fleets for sale that no one can buy. Landings in areas this year are extremely low, as we expect them to be in the fall. This is on top of five to seven years in 26A, and probably ten years in area 25, in which landings have been consistently low.

Fisheries committee  From the producers' point of view, with the restrictions on access to processors and buyers, the competition has been strongly reduced and they have no place else to go. For the first time, people are not buying fish for a day or two, and boat quotas are being put on arbitrarily.

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. MacAulay. In terms of rationalization, we've had lengthy discussions over the years with a series of federal ministers from both the major parties. In latter years, we've been told directly that it would have to be a self-rationalization scheme, that the industry itself would have to bear—

Fisheries committee  I was building up to something like that, Mr. MacAulay. The previous minister certainly let it be known that his approach was only on the concept of self-rationalization, and the industry would have to bear the full price and brunt of that process. In more recent months and weeks, we've had discussions with Minister Shea; we've had discussions, at least in P.E.I., with our own provincial government; and we've had various discussions within our own organization and our membership.

Fisheries committee  We're talking about the P.E.I. lobster industry, so we're looking island-wide at our three LFAs. But we're starting in the most hard-hit areas, which are areas 25 and 26A.

Fisheries committee  No, we haven't gone that far yet. We're envisioning that there may be an overall packet of money, but there are three different approaches because of the variances in each fishing zone. The interests of people in LFA 24 may be for other types of licences besides lobster. But in the Northumberland Strait, the major concern is lobster licences.

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It's nice to see you all again after your trip to the east coast a short while ago. The weather has improved slightly. Let's hope it improves some more. I really reiterate what my colleagues said here earlier. There is a very deep crisis in the Atlantic lobster industry, not only in Prince Edward Island but through all the five eastern provinces.