Fisheries committee  It certainly has hit the corporate boardrooms. There are currently no labels associated with carbon footprints. I understand when a lot of the large retailers are looking at developing their green policies, they are also looking at the carbon footprint. But there are no certifying organizations out there right now focusing on the carbon footprint.

Fisheries committee  We haven't done a study on this, so I don't know this for sure. There's no doubt the harvesters feel that producers will be passing along that cost to them. I saw a recent presentation to the lobster industry whereby they had hired somebody to do an analysis of price in the lobster industry.

Fisheries committee  I will be brief, Mr. Chair. Page 29 shows, very generally, the actions taken by the government to deal with how this has gone off the track, to use your expression. Not only have we met with these organizations, but we have also met with buyers to give them information about the stocks we manage.

Fisheries committee  Is the question whether or not there is a preferred eco-certification process in the industry and the markets?

Fisheries committee  I think it's a bit of all. The industry decision in Canada is highly based on what markets are asking for. In fact, as I mentioned, in northern Europe they're demanding MSC, so that was a lot in the decision to go down that route. In terms of the actual credibility of the program, what makes an eco-label or an eco-certification process popular is what markets are asking for, but also the credibility of the process.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, I would like to clarify that this list is taken from the French version of a document produced by a group of non-governmental environmental organizations called SeaChoice. It does not come from Fisheries and Oceans Canada or the federal government. I brought it as an example, to show you the seafood that is considered at present to be sustainable or not sustainable, by those organizations.

Fisheries committee  I don't know what is involved in those private arrangements. What I can say is that there are organizations, fish producers, entering into business arrangements with ENGOs to have those ENGOs review their purchasing lists or help them sell their products to foreign buyers, by demonstrating that their products are sustainable, and helping them to get there.

Fisheries committee  No.

Fisheries committee  Yes, absolutely.

Fisheries committee  There are two questions there. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans remains neutral in terms of recognizing one organization versus another. We have supported industry clients who go through these processes, whether it's the MSC or another process, by providing the information.

Fisheries committee  The United States.

Fisheries committee  And Europe, to date, as well. However, I understand from their current debates on their common fisheries policy that they're starting to review their approach. I don't know where they're going to land after their review process.

Fisheries committee  They actually have a policy to that effect. NMFS has a policy on their website to that effect, that it's a business decision. At the end of the day, what it means is that if producers wants to seek an eco-label, whether it's Marine Stewardship or otherwise, they will have to do their own legwork, look at information on NMFS's website, get their own information, hire their own consultants, and build their information and their stories, because it is a story that they're telling to the assessors.

Fisheries committee  Yes.

Fisheries committee  I would probably point to New Zealand, which is on the other side. New Zealand has, as I said, put a pot of money to help the industry go down the route of eco-certification. It's not just to pay for the actual fees of the process; it's also a country that has a cost recovery mechanism on a lot of its management process.