Agriculture committee  I think the advantage of this technology to the consumer is that it can bring more fish to market quicker. In standard genetics, to quote a Norwegian genetics scientist, to double the growth rate of an Atlantic salmon takes approximately six generations of four years. That's 24 years.

Agriculture committee  I don't have that offhand. That was in the science studies provided and that was before my time, but I can get that for you if you want it.

Agriculture committee  Yes. I'll see what was in the package and I can provide that, I think.

Agriculture committee  That's for you.

Agriculture committee  Do you mean for sterilization?

Agriculture committee  Absolutely. We can optimize a growing environment for the fish. In fact, we can control all of the growing parameters to optimize their growth. We don't have sea lice problems. We don't have ISA. Most of the stuff that's plaguing the industry in the oceans is not a concern for us.

Agriculture committee  No.

Agriculture committee  I think the strategy is to locate close to the consumer market. That's the real benefit of being land-based: now you can grow a farm anywhere.

Agriculture committee  The process is called a pressure shocking treatment. Once they're fertilized, within a certain period of time they're put into a cylinder and they are exposed to a pressure of so many pounds per square inch. Without getting technical, that allows the three sets of chromosomes to be retained.

Agriculture committee  We submitted our data, but Health Canada also had an independent panel of experts that was administered through Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. They looked at the aspects of safety and risk to the environment.

Agriculture committee  The answer to that is that this is a campaign to sign up retailers. When there's no product on the market, there's no advantage to not going along. When there is a product on the market, we expect we'll see a different outcome.

Agriculture committee  Do you mean that have come to us and said no? No.

Agriculture committee  Yes. Our head office is based in Maynard, Massachusetts.

Agriculture committee  As you know, the technology was developed in St. John's, Newfoundland. At the university, the research facilities are small. When we went looking for a facility, the one that met the criteria was the particular one that we purchased in Fortune. It was just a matter of how, when you go looking for property, you have to take where the location is.

Agriculture committee  Well, obviously, the Atlantic Veterinary College and the University of Prince Edward Island have been useful. There are other players in the biotech cluster in Prince Edward Island that I think have been useful.