Fisheries committee  In the case of snow crab, we were able to work with the department. We wanted to go out as early as April 10 or 12, but the Minister and Mr. Cormier wanted to make sure that the plants were safe for the workers. So we postponed the fishing season until April 24. For a period of a

Fisheries committee  I can't hear you.

Fisheries committee  Our vessels range in length from 60 to 75 feet, with a crew of four to seven people. All crew members live, eat, and, with the exception of the captain, sleep in the same spaces. You've heard of the problem with the physical distance requirement on lobster boats. Welcome to our

Fisheries committee  Good afternoon, everyone. The Fédération régionale acadienne des pêcheurs professionnels, or FRAPP, proud of its 52 years of existence, represents nearly 200 fishers grouped into three associations: the Association des pêcheurs professionnels crabiers acadiens, the Association d

Fisheries committee  First of all, thank you for inviting us here today to provide our suggestions and comments on this very worrisome topic. Since beluga whales are mostly in the St. Lawrence estuary, which is not a usual fishing area for us, are recommendations do not pertain to that species. It

Fisheries committee  First, to preserve the economic benefits for each community, a single opening date for everyone must be maintained. Opting for different dates depending on which ports are ice-free would lead fleets to leave their usual home ports. Second, still with a view to maximizing fishin

Fisheries committee  Good afternoon, everyone. I would also like to offer my condolences on the loss of one of your colleagues. I will speak in French. It's strange because the last time you went to Shippagan, I was speaking in English. I have to come to Ottawa to speak in French. First of all, t

Fisheries committee  Yes, we'll have a better picture for the two coming years.

Fisheries committee  Fishermen in the southern gulf are aware of this. They were part of the assessment, and the information was also distributed to the other representatives. It's also available on the web. In the southern gulf, science and fishermen have a good relationship. They contact us directl

Fisheries committee  As regards the annual survey, I mentioned that we are very good at predicting with good accuracy what's coming in the following year. When we do the survey we monitor the number of crabs that will be in the fishery in two years, three years, and four years time. After that it bec

Fisheries committee  It has been done in the past on a small scale, but we would like to expand it. This is my wish, to expand it more across the southern gulf to not only explain movement but also to have a better estimate of the natural mortality of crab. That can also help us to measure that compo

Fisheries committee  I think it's a very good tool to sample crab. Because the southern gulf in particular has a soft bottom, it's probably the only area in which we can use that tool more efficiently throughout the entire distribution of the biomass. One thing I've noticed, which is kind of a cycle

Fisheries committee  I would just add that there is also residual biomass when the survey is conducted after the fishery. We assess the crab that is not being caught in the fishery, as David Bevan just mentioned. That crab is not lost, by the way. Managing a resource is about sex and kids. You need s

Fisheries committee  The science that we do for snow crab at the moment--

Fisheries committee  It would probably be to maintain the research we do on the crab movement and the relationship between the males and females--vis-à-vis how many females and males we need. That work is going on, but it's not something that can be achieved within a few years. We'd need probably fiv