Deputy John Young said he was in contact with Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham about how the government could help the industry ‘make the transition’ to new regulations following Brexit.
Jersey’s fishing fleet staged a protest at the Harbour earlier this month to raise awareness of the post-Brexit issues they had faced, including difficulties with paperwork and landing catches in Europe since 1 January.
During yesterday’s States sitting, Deputy Young said the changes had been ‘detrimental’ and caused ‘major disruption’ due to an increase in bureaucracy and costs.
The Deputy said he and other ministers had helped to ‘facilitate the route for exporters’ of whelks and scallops, but he admitted it was not as easy as landing hauls directly. He said he did not want to underestimate the difficulties that those in the fishing industry were experiencing.
The minister was responding to a question from St Peter Constable Richard Vibert, who asked what was being done to address the issue, and another from Senator Sarah Ferguson about the support on offer.
‘The situation is entirely different now we are a third country,’ he said.
Deputy Young also said he was in talks with representatives of the fishing sector on a daily basis. He added that he was continuing to work with External Relations Minister Ian Gorst, and speaking to colleagues in the UK, France and the EU on a regular basis ‘to improve the situation’.
A temporary border-inspection post will need to be set up and is expected to be in place in the Island within six months, according to the Environment Minister.
This will be replaced by a ‘more substantive set-up’, which is likely to be located at the port, he said, ‘when things become a little clearer’.
Tensions between local and continental fishermen have been growing since the UK and EU’s post-Brexit trade deal effectively brought to an end the Granville Bay Agreement, which had governed fishing arrangements between Jersey and France in the Island’s waters.
Under the new regime, foreign vessels are required to apply to Jersey authorities for a licence to fish in its waters and need to prove that they had done so previously.
Senator Gorst has granted an amnesty until the end of next month for affected boats to complete the necessary paperwork.
