Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I thank all of the witnesses for being here. I'll start off with Mr. Walters.
Mr. Walters, we've heard that some top scientific studies have provided conclusive evidence that 30% to 50% of outbound chinook, coho and steelhead smolts are consumed in the Salish Sea upon their arrival in the migration up the gulf. If the pinniped population were reduced, in your opinion, what would the impact be on small predation levels? Would they be reduced proportionately?