Fisheries committee  We export over 70% of our crab to the States. It's obvious that we need that market.

Fisheries committee  No, we haven't had much discussion on this because from what I understand, it's very difficult to put a device on the whales that will stay on them so you can follow them. That's one of the points. We've been testing some intelligent buoys. If those buoys get entangled in rope with a whale, they send real-time messages.

Fisheries committee  No. The buoys themselves communicate constantly or maybe every five or 15 minutes. They send a signal that the skipper gets on his phone. For instance, he knows that if the buoy is moving more than, let's say, 300 feet from its mooring, there's something happening with it. It's being pulled by either a boat or a whale.

Fisheries committee  I can only speak for the midshore fleet, because it is the main fleet with the highest allocation of quota. It is the fleet that has problems catching its quota when there are very large, extensive closures. In 2022, there were about 35 midshore enterprises that left snow crab in the water, and the amount was maybe between 10% and 20% of their allocation.

Fisheries committee  These measures already exist. For example, places that are 20 fathoms deep or less are the best places for lobster fishing. Those measures are not really the same as the measures established for places that are 20 fathoms deep or more. I am sure that some of my colleagues will be better able to inform you than I am about these measures, because they are people engaged in lobster fishing.

Fisheries committee  As I was saying earlier, we are currently testing weak link rope. We will have to wait for the results of the tests before we can analyze that gear objectively. However, we already know that, as the test show, this rope is probably completely inappropriate for raising traps the size of crab traps, for example, or that it is inappropriate in places where there is high pressure on the ropes because of weather conditions.

Fisheries committee  No, that would be putting the cart before the horse, unlike what was done with ropeless fishing, where the department took the time to do testing and wait for the results. This summer, we did tests on weak-link ropes. We have not yet seen the results, while the department is talking about putting it in place next spring.

Fisheries committee  Yes. They work relatively well in fishing area 12, because the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence is kind of like a big pond. There are not a lot of very strong currents in that part of the gulf, unlike in other places, like the Nova Scotia region that other witnesses have mentioned.

Fisheries committee  Yes. I agree completely with that statement. We have the evidence. Now, the message that is circulating in the media, instead, is one that cultivates fear and conveys misinformation.

Fisheries committee  Yes, it is a good option. Unfortunately, since the measures for the whales started to be put in place, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has focused a lot of effort on protecting whales, without really looking at the possibilities to enable the fishery and the whales to coexist.

Fisheries committee  There is obviously a way to improve it. Some of the slides in my presentation clearly show that. At the beginning of the season, the whales migrate and are concentrated in the centre of the gulf. During the migratory period, however, the department applies the same measures everywhere.

Fisheries committee  Concerning the acoustic buoys, we think they should not even be used for closing areas unless there is visual or aerial observation of the whales. All the acoustic buoy does is hear the sounds within a 40 kilometre radius. The department then closes around the buoy. The other problem, which is even worse, is that the department closes the area based on the sound from the buoy, but does not open it based on the sound from the buoy.

Fisheries committee  I would like to know whether people have access to my tables.

Fisheries committee  I assume that people have the slides in front of them. I invite you to refer to them as we go along. Good afternoon. My name is Robert Haché and I am speaking on behalf of the Association des crabiers acadiens, an organization of 44 midshore fishing companies that receive 61% of the traditional crab allocations held in New Brunswick.

Fisheries committee  I'm sorry about that. When an area is ordered closed, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the DFO, closes nine rectangles, thus creating...