Deputy Gregory Guida made the comments during a Housing, Environment and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel hearing where he said that the government needed to ‘win back’ its voice in the Gallic media.
It follows a blockade of the Island’s Harbour last month when Norman and Breton fishermen protested over conditions governing the species they were allowed to target and the number of days they were allowed to fish for in Jersey waters. Restrictions for already licensed vessels were extended until 1 July soon after.
‘There has not been anything recently but we are trying to send a press release to the French media. We have to appreciate that this thing is much larger than us [Jersey] – it is about the negotiations between the EU and the UK at a much higher level and whether they can live with the Trade and [Economic] Co-operation Agreement,’ Deputy Guida said.
He added: ‘And on our side what we are trying to do is work on the notion of our sovereignty, which has been completely set aside by the French. They just do not even accept that they are talking about our territorial waters. They just call it the Bay of Granville instead. We need to be relatively firm on this. The other one which is an extremely serious problem which the French have completely sidelined is the conservation issue. They are talking about the maximum possible access for their vessels and at no point in their negotiations have they mentioned the problem of conservation and sustainable fishing.
‘Those are the two main points we need to put forward because the French have been leading the narrative so far and putting us in the wrong place. They completely lead their media and we need to win this back. We need to step back and mention the fact that these are our territorial waters and they do not belong to the French.’
During the blockade of Jersey’s Harbour by French fishermen last month, a meeting was held between representatives from the Norman and Breton fleet and government officials. And it was agreed that a hotline between the two parties would be set up to help clarify any issues that fishermen might be having with their licences.
Deputy Guida added that this had initially been well-used but that French authorities had since ordered their fleets not to communicate with Jersey directly.
‘The hotline started well but it is quite quiet now because the first batch of boats – I think their situation is pretty much established – we are waiting for more data but we have got licences [for them],’ he said.
‘But it has been quite difficult because the French government has actively forbade them from talking to us. They told their fisheries management “you do not talk to Jersey – this is a national level thing”.’
Panel chairman Constable Mike Jackson asked whether there was any other strategy open to Jersey in trying to resolve the crisis.
Deputy Guida said that the EU and UK were the two parties in the contract and not Jersey or France. He added: ‘Everybody is talking about the negotiation with France. We are not a party and France is not a party – and the contract has been signed. You do not negotiate a contract after it has been signed.’
