Fisheries committee  You're looking for what would be the downside of controlling pinnipeds?

Fisheries committee  I'm not sure. I'm not an expert on pinnipeds. I've never studied them, so I'm not really sure what the trade-off would be there. But I can see where you're coming from when we compare, say, the trade-off of livelihoods affected by reduced fishing and so on. I don't see those sort

Fisheries committee  Yes, and how the minister weighs that, of course.... That's a tough question to deal with and not really a scientific one.

Fisheries committee  Mr. Chair, I'm sorry. It's John Reynolds.

Fisheries committee  I'm sorry, but unfortunately I really do need to return to my COSEWIC meeting, so if it's okay, I would like to be allowed to be let off the hook here.

Fisheries committee  Yes. It does happen that species have different statuses in different parts of the country, especially in such a large and diverse country as ours. We look for the overall national status. We ask, all things considered, how are they doing? For example, peregrine falcon are doing

Fisheries committee  It is correct. We would be considering all of the separate populations and how they're doing in different places, and then ask overall, how is that species doing on a Canada-wide basis?

Fisheries committee  May I add one thing that I should have said?

Fisheries committee  We consider species below the species level. We can look at subspecies or at genetically distinct populations. For example, the fish in Atlantic Canada are bound to be genetically distinct, or they may well be genetically distinct, from ones in the Great Lakes. In that case, we

Fisheries committee  I see. I would have to check with the secretariat, because the spring meeting's going on right now. I can provide that information to the committee after this hearing, if you like. I can see at exactly what stage in the process we are. At any given time, we have about 100 species

Fisheries committee  In cases like this, I think there are two issues that can help with this. The first is a precautionary principle can be adopted. If it looks like there could be a problem, then a precautionary principle would suggest that you should assume there may well be one. That doesn't me

Fisheries committee  Yes. I think science comes first and science can point toward the state of the problem, if you think of it as a problem. It can also be used to consider potential solutions. For example, Dr. Korman mentioned that they wrote that report, which would have also modelled the effects

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, for inviting me to participate with the standing committee. I'm going to start by wearing my hat as a professor at Simon Fraser University, not on behalf of COSEWIC, and with that responsibility I'll briefly remind the committee of some of the difficulties