Fisheries committee  As I see it, if we decided to merge, it is not because things were going well. In the Magdalen Islands, there were previously five plants. Now, there are four, including two main plants. Another plant will be closing this year. It may operate processing shellfish. There will be two main plants operating—one specializing in crab, and the other, in lobster.

Fisheries committee  In 2009, we will be processing mainly lobster and crab. In the Magdalen Islands, there is not a large crab quota, but we also receive crab from elsewhere. The biomass is available all around the Magdalen Islands, which is to say that the largest concentration of crab, for all the provinces, is located around the Magdalen Islands, which gives us an opportunity to receive crab from other boats.

Fisheries committee  Yes, you are absolutely right. Because there are two of us in the Gulf—Newfoundland and the Magdalen Islands—they forgot all about us. Although we have no idea why, we know that Quebec was not included in the program.

Fisheries committee  In cooperation with the fishers association and producers, the Quebec government is currently working on a lobster marketing plan at the provincial level, but nowhere else. This is a provincial program.

Fisheries committee  Yes. At the present time, we are even part of an enterprise in New Brunswick, as co-owner. We work a great deal with the other provinces with a view to improving our processing, but if you compare the costs of the two plants—I keep coming back to this—there is a very big difference.

Fisheries committee  You are right: the crisis is hitting the United States hard, but it will also hit Quebec, Canada and everywhere else. That is why we have been talking about transportation and our advantage in that respect. As Marc was saying, we have a fuel surcharge. The crisis in the U.S. is affecting the Magdalen Islands and everyone else.

Fisheries committee  I would like to add something. We really want to stress the need for assistance in relation to our expenses. If we pay 5¢ more here for lobster than in Nova Scotia, that means it has cost a producer 35¢ more. Our expenses are so high that, in order to pay the same price, it costs us more—which is something that a lot of people forget.

Fisheries committee  If you want to buy lobster from Cap sur Mer but are having trouble finding the name, you can locate us under the name Cape by the Sea. It's the same thing.

Fisheries committee  No, I would say that in terms of the lobster inventory, we do not currently have any, even though we are processors.

Fisheries committee  We are not in that situation, but there are lobster inventories on Prince Edward Island and Boston markets, for example. It would seem that the current inventory is not the same as ours. However, that does have an effect on our orders. It can affect prices. When there are inventories, prices are always lower.

Fisheries committee  In terms of transportation, there has been a lot of discussion about the cost of fuel. If you compare the cost of fuel in the Magdalen Islands to the cost in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, you will see that costs are higher here. If you ride around, you can check the prices at the pump.

Fisheries committee  Good morning everyone. My name is Jacques Chevarie and I am the President of Cap sur Mer. There have been changes recently. The company has three processing plants, in Grande-Entrée, Havre-aux-Maisons and Gros Cap. Sitting next to me is Marc Gallant.

Fisheries committee  We are somewhat ill-prepared because we were only advised last week that we would be appearing. We have plenty of expertise with respect to processing, purchasing and selling lobster, but we have not prepared anything. The group that came before us said pretty well everything that had to be said about conservation.