Fisheries committee  I don't have the data in front of me today, but we do have it.

Fisheries committee  Initially, certainly when PICFI started up, the intent was to increase commercial economic development for first nations. Initially, certainly a fair percentage of that was leased back out to professional fish harvesters to fish that amount. Some were indigenous and some not. You could lease a PICFI-held quota out to non-indigenous fish harvesters.

Fisheries committee  No, but what we did intend to do was develop these commercial fishing enterprises in a way that would allow them to develop into profitable businesses. There is data that we've been compiling that shows that the numbers of participants in the CFEs who are of aboriginal descent and the amount of fishing that has actually taken place has significantly increased from 2010 to 2017.

Fisheries committee  Yes. Within our regional policy and economics unit, we have an economics unit that has been gathering data as to the economics of the fishery, things such as market access, number of participants, average lease rates, average prices being paid and so on. We're collating or developing a report of that data in order to provide a picture of the current economics of the fishery.

Fisheries committee  In terms of development, my understanding from reading past reports is that there were some trials of owner-operator type and other limitations in terms of the amount of access available. Going back through the historical documents, it appears that there were some unworkable parts of that.

Fisheries committee  Yes, you can designate someone else. You don't have to be the owner to be the fisher.

Fisheries committee  You have to identify an operator with a vessel to have a fishing licence identified with it, but you can have—

Fisheries committee  There are a few examples where the quota pricing has actually declined. It is somewhat a fishery-dependent question there. Obviously as a free, market-driven system, in those more profitable fisheries in which there was a higher return, those prices have gone up, and of course those are the fisheries that individuals have a higher interest of entering into.

Fisheries committee  There are two quick points. In terms of the PICFI program, part of it has been to move to economic opportunities for interior first nations, in particular, like the Harrison Fisheries Authority—that's actually what we call a demonstration fishery—in which we're looking at providing smaller opportunities for local first nations or others in the context of the larger fishery.

Fisheries committee  In terms of landed value, I don't have the GDP figures off the top of my head but for comparison, the commercial fishery is about $398 million; the aquaculture industry in British Columbia is about $500 million on an annual basis, sometimes a little higher due to price; and the recreational fishery is generally estimated to be about $700 million on an annual basis.

Fisheries committee  The vast majority of fish landed by poundage is through the commercial fishery. A fairly small amount of fish in total weight is landed by the recreational fishery, if that's the question you're asking.

Fisheries committee  We would understand the relative values of the leasing costs changing year by year. We do have knowledge of annual increases or decreases, and there have been some decreases on fisheries.

Fisheries committee  Not on an individual transfer basis, as that's an individual buyer's decision. On an annual basis for a fishery, we do the market analysis.

Fisheries committee  The regulation around that is to hold quota, you have to hold a fishing licence. To hold a fishing licence you have to either be a Canadian resident or citizen or you can be a B.C. registered company. With our B.C. registered companies that hold some licences and quota, I believe it's 38% of the fishing licence.

Fisheries committee  It's a common property resource.