Robert Morrissey

How do you explain the importance of that to the committee—the fact that although there was no feeding source, there would still be, in your opinion, an abundance of mackerel?

Is that the one you were referencing about them only allowing you 10 nets?

Thank you, Chair. The first question is for Mr. DesRoches. Anybody else can join in or opine on it. Just briefly, can you go back to the common fishing practice you said you use and that you feel gives you a better assessment of the stock than when practices are dictated to you for research purposes?

You made the reference that when you were travelling the strait in the fall, you were seeing mackerel in an area where it was not normal for mackerel to be. You made that comment, but what do you define as a normal area and why would it be important if mackerel were where they would not normally be?

Do they only do the one type of survey on spring herring?

You referenced that they're not capturing the fishery that it once was because they're underestimating stock biomass.

You made reference to a management-induced fishery.

This was not sampling. These were actual landings.

There was documentation provided to the committee earlier that said prior to the closure in 2022, the stock was declining in the years preceding that, when the catch rate did not match the allowable catch that was given. How would you account for the declining landings in mackerel going back over the years? My notes say that it was in 2016 going into 2022.

I take it that all three of you were listening to Professor Robert. His opening statement highlighted that, from his perspective, the mackerel stock in the gulf is in a critical area. Can you respond to Professor Robert's comments on that? Professor Robert is not DFO. He's not fishing. He's appeared before the committee before, but he would provide a different perspective than what you would be [more]

Thank you, Chair. I want to focus more on the herring fishery, because we have not had a lot of discussion about it here, and we're referencing the spring herring fishery. Mr. Barlow, could you brief the committee on the difference between the spring and the fall herring fisheries? Are they different stocks?

Your testimony was referencing, from your perspective, the health of the spring herring stock. Am I correct?