Thanks very much, Mr. Chairman. At the outset, I'd like to mention to you and to the committee that we're expecting our president, Mr. Avery, to be here momentarily. Unfortunately, I don't know that Mr. Drake will make it today. As you know, we're in the middle of lobster season and there have been some challenges out on the water. But certainly, Mr. Jenkins is well versed on the issues that I'll speak to today, and I hope Mr. Avery will be here shortly.

If I may continue, Mr. Chair, my name is Ian MacPherson and I'm the executive director of the Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association. My role this afternoon will be to give an overview of our organization and briefly introduce our witnesses.

The Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association would like to take this opportunity to thank the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans for the opportunity to participate in today's session. The PEIFA represents over 1,260 fishers on Prince Edward Island. The main species that we harvest are lobster, tuna, herring and mackerel. There are currently 351 tuna licence holders on P.E.I., and 33 fishers are engaged in the tuna charter fishery. All fishers engaged in the tuna charter business are commercial licence holders.

Our organization comprises six local organizations that are governed by their own executive members. Two members, typically the president and the vice-president, sit on the PEIFA board of directors. The PEIFA board consists of 12 members and our president. This structure creates an organization that has island wide participation and provides equal representation around the decision-making table.

Attending today, we have PEIFA president Craig Avery, whom I hope will be here in a few moments, and our vice-president Mr. Bobby Jenkins. These gentlemen are both active fishers and very involved with the activities of the PEIFA. Our president, Mr. Avery, has been fishing for 38 years, and has been on the PEIFA executive for 20 years as treasurer and more recently as association president. He was involved with the recreational tuna fishery in the very early days of the industry and is very active in the many files that the PEIFA deals with as a significant fishing organization in Atlantic Canada.

PEIFA vice-president Bobby Jenkins has been fishing for 40 years and fishing tuna since 1979. He has also served on the PEIFA board of directors for 20 years. In addition, Mr. Jenkins has been very involved with our tuna advisory committee over the last 15 years. Collectively, these gentlemen have over 70 years of fishing experience and an in-depth understanding of both the commercial and recreational tuna fisheries.

In 2010, the PEIFA headed up a major scientific project that featured the tagging of over 50 bluefin tuna. This project featured sophisticated satellite pop-up tags, which not only showed the migration patterns of the fish but also provided significant data on the mortality rates of tuna that have been caught and released. The information obtained was vital in setting new catch-and-release standards for the tuna charter industry.

In closing, I would like to mention a phrase that is frequently used in the numerous tuna meetings that take place over the course of the year regarding the commercial and recreational tuna fisheries. “The fish must win,” is a statement that underscores the desire and commitment of the many captains on Prince Edward Island to keep our commercial and recreational fisheries sustainable and financially viable.

This concludes our opening remarks, Mr. Chairman, and I respectfully turn these proceedings back to you for questions from the committee and discussion.

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