Fisheries committee  It shouldn't be confused. There is a recreational food fishery. Personal use licences are referred to with DFO. I think there are 6,000 animals or 8,000 animals that are taken for personal use. That's six animals per licence. I think the limit is 8,000 or 6,000 animals. However,

Fisheries committee  Last November, in meetings in St. John's, when the request came from DFO as to what we thought the TAC should be for 2006, as a company, we suggested 400,000 animals. We felt the marketplace could stand 400,000 animals--not for a long period of time, but at least for a year or tw

Fisheries committee  I fully understand what Wilf said, but I'm not sure that competition will be eliminated. It's my understanding that certainly this stuff.... It has been suggested; it's a suggested policy. I don't think it's in their policy manual yet. But in April of 2008, it's my understanding

Fisheries committee  Right now in Newfoundland, the major buyers are Carino Company, ourselves, the Barry Group with Atlantic Marine Products in Catalina, the Panian Group in Carbonear, and that's about it. Northeast Coast Sealers Cooperative and Fleur de Lys purchase sealskins; however, they have be

Fisheries committee  It's rather difficult. I don't know if I can pin it down to just one thing: what will we do to help the industry? I guess I keep coming back to seal oil. Right now what's needed is for the Canadian government to sponsor the proper clinical studies that will allow doctors to be

Fisheries committee  That was the estimate that David Bevan gave at the June 15 meeting of the committee. That would be total, throughout Canada, I would assume. Over the years I've attended many, many DFO information sessions and things like that, and that's the number that seems to keep popping up-

Fisheries committee  It's my understanding that certainly there were. Back in the early eighties there were a number of sealers, as well as aboriginal people, who travelled to Europe and met with the European parliamentarians and things like that. I think it was to no avail. If I recall, back in th

Fisheries committee  I shouldn't jump on the thing, because I know a couple of the people who are presenting tomorrow in Gander, and I think you'll get good information from these people. I sit on the sealing committee of the Fur Institute of Canada, and these people.... When I look at your list for

Fisheries committee  For a number of years, or subsequent to the past couple of years, HST was not a concern. I guess in excess of 95% of seal product is exported out of Canada to Europe or Asia or whatever. Of course, there is no HST on our exports. I know as a company, a few years ago we had an e

Fisheries committee  They're being fined for not collecting the HST, so there are penalties and interest and things like that. The HST is not the issue, as I see it. Really, it's the interest and the penalties that is an issue for the sealers. Really, I suppose, in one way of speaking, if you look at

Fisheries committee  May I speak on that? If you look at the EI Act, the term they use is a “catch”: as long as their product is a catch, then it's EI insurable. But seals are excluded from the term “catch”, so sealing income is not insurable. However, if a skipper, as you said, creates what's ter

Fisheries committee  That's my understanding, yes.

Fisheries committee  I think by coming down and saying that the hakapik is not an appropriate tool to use, these groups then will say, “Well look, we've been telling you for years that it's not an appropriate tool to use.” So we're only adding fuel to their fire. I think the veterinarians have expre

Fisheries committee  Well, it could, if they didn't shut it down. But that was the reason they shut it down, to avoid—

Fisheries committee  Well, they advised sealers that as of noon on Thursday, the hunt was discontinued. It opened at six o'clock on Thursday morning for a six-hour period, based on the fact that the day before, the first day, between six o'clock in the morning and five o'clock in the afternoon a cert