Yes, I will speak on behalf of the Restigouche River Watershed Management Council.

First of all, I'd like to present our organization. The Restigouche River Watershed Management Council is an interprovincial committee that has a mission to work with different partners to protect and conserve the Atlantic salmon in the Restigouche watershed, located in Quebec and New Brunswick—50% in each province. This includes five major rivers: the Matapédia River and the Patapédia River in Quebec, the Kedgwick, Little Main Restigouche, and Upsalquitch in New Brunswick.

There is different management concerning the recreational fisheries for Atlantic salmon, mainly privately operated fishing camps with private waters and fishing leases or licences. Also, mainly in Quebec, there are public waters with a lottery system, and also open water with daily access fees.

Concerning the private fishing camps, there are in total 23 fishing camps on these rivers. As an example, a lease paid to the Province of New Brunswick costs approximately $541,000 every year for a 10-year lease. An abstract of a study on the economic contribution of salmon fishing camps along the Restigouche River in eastern Canada done by the University of New Brunswick and Dr. Van Lantz in 2010 shows that in 2009, camps directly contributed over $10 million in expenditures, including $5 million in wages, $4.1 million on goods and services, and $1.2 million in property taxes and government licences. This represents 346 part-time-equivalent jobs. Indirect or spinoff contributions amount to an additional $1.8 million in output and $1.2 million in wages, representing another 189 jobs. It is largest of any sector in these rural communities. It could also contribute more since most have not been operating at full capacity. Sixty-five per cent of the economic impact is in New Brunswick. In total, it represents $11.8 million and 535 jobs.

I just want to highlight that these camps are located in rural communities that have a population of approximately 7,800. These jobs are mainly for guides, cooks, managers, housekeepers, and wardens.

Concerning the Quebec public waters, there is a mix of open water with daily access fees, and also a lottery system for prime waters. It is managed by a non-profit organization located in Causapscal in the Matapédia Valley. This organization manages the Matapédia, the Patapédia, and Causapscal rivers. Per year their revenues from access and daily fees are $1.15 million, which represents 43 seasonal jobs, plus five permanent employees. In addition, 20 self-employed, independent guides have a commercial licence on these waters.

So salmon angling is, for the Restigouche watershed area, a major contributor to the economy for the little villages from the northern New Brunswick Saint-Quentin/Kedgwick area and the Matapédia Valley.

Thank you for giving us the chance to speak on behalf of the Restigouche River Watershed Management Council. I'm open to any questions.

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