Human Resources committee  Oh, okay. My apologies, Mr. Chairman. It's a busy time of year for our board of directors, and we were just vetting it before I sent it off. We're in the middle of lobster season right now, so it's a busy time for all. Irrespective of that, it's certainly not anything for which people couldn't jot down a few notes, so I'm sure you'll have a few questions.

Fisheries committee  Yes, absolutely. Because we're an island, every day that someone stays here longer—I guess it's like any other destination in Canada—has a significant positive impact. Although it's more of a provincial initiative, one of the good examples of that is provincial tuna cup that we have every fall.

Fisheries committee  Trout.

Fisheries committee  To answer your question, yes, there are. Generally, we have quite a significant freshwater trout fishery here, too. Those are very popular and family-focused. I did mention earlier some of the charters that go out for mackerel and cod, if it's the proper season. Those charters tend to be very reasonably priced.

Fisheries committee  Just to follow up on what Mr. Jenkins just mentioned—and I understand what you're saying—I think that resources don't tend to be unlimited. They are finite. But because this is a growing and expanding industry, if there are other fisheries in decline or if they're fairly static, then maybe more enforcement needs to be put on the catch-and-release fishery or the tuna fishery because it's a growing sector.

Fisheries committee  Yes. Inshore or ocean related is the category of our fishery, versus the great big ships out in the far Atlantic. In terms of the culture, absolutely, the tuna industry did suffer a decline a number of years ago and has bounced back quite significantly, as we alluded to earlier.

Fisheries committee  As I mentioned, I don't attend them personally, but certainly Mr. Drake makes a full report when he gets back. Those types of concerns are passed on from the Canadian delegation, in terms of how we conduct our fishery and the concerns about how some of the other fisheries are conducted.

Fisheries committee  Certainly, it's correct that rod and reel are used. It's a method that a lot of people are familiar with. It gives the fish a fighting chance. As we know, there are other areas of the world that use seining techniques or nets or other things—

Fisheries committee  I can just speak for P.E.I., but I know we have a very passionate group over here that's very focused on sustainability, and the people who are going into the charter business, for example, are not going to recoup that money over a few years. They're looking at the long term, so preservation of the stock, sustainability of the stock, and giving the fish a fair chance are all key factors when we look at it.

Fisheries committee  Certainly we're seeing some of the local tournaments and things like that—and the fact we alluded to earlier, that we are seeing more independent operators get into that business, would speak to it being financially viable for people to get into it. That appears to be the case.

Fisheries committee  There are 351.

Fisheries committee  They are all active.

Fisheries committee  That's correct, yes. Actually the number is 351, so it is a little higher than 321, but yes, that's correct.

Fisheries committee  It's open to anyone. There has been a number of boats. I would say around 10 to 12 boats have been in the industry for quite a few years and built up those businesses. But I guess, as with anything, we're seeing fishers look at different streams or potential revenue streams. We have seen an increase over the last few years, up to the 33 that Mr.

Fisheries committee  I'd like Mr. Jenkins to clarify something here.