Deputy John Young (pictured left) said that Jersey’s representatives were ‘working overtime’ via diplomatic channels to try to resolve the issues.
Jersey fisherman Michael Michieli revealed that he is now stuck in Jersey with tonnes of fish on board which his vessel may be forced to sell in Brixham, Devon. The trip would would involve a 12-hour boat journey and come at great expense.
His comments come after it was reported that more than 100 Norman and Breton vessels were being prevented from accessing the Island’s waters following the cancellation of an informal interim permit scheme. The initiative was put in place by the government as part of the signing of a new Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement [TECA] which sets out post-Brexit trade and fishing rules for Jersey and France. The TECA replaced the previous arrangement set out in the Granville Bay Agreement. It affords Jersey tariff-free trading rights with Europe and governs fishing arrangements, but is subject to a 90-day cancellation clause that either the UK or the EU Commission can activate. If the clause were activated it would exclude Jersey from the terms of the newly reached Brexit deal, which would have implications for the finance industry.
French fishermen who previously fished in Jersey waters under the old agreement were given a 90-day interim permit and told that they must demonstrate a history of operating here for a certain amount of time to obtain a permanent licence.
But around a week after that interim policy was implemented, the European Commission and UK objected to the informal scheme and French fishermen have now been warned they cannot fish here unless they have a permanent licence.
As a result, fishing communities in France are now pushing back and are stopping Jersey fishermen from landing their catches.
Mr Michieli, the master of the L’Ecume II, said he went fishing for two days over the weekend but had received calls from the Granville harbourmaster warning him that he should not travel to Granville because he feared for the Islander’s safety following anger from French fishermen. Mr Michieli’s vessel is now stuck in St Helier with tonnes of fresh fish on board.
‘As I am coming down to the boat to go to sea on Monday night, the [Granville] harbourmaster called me and said “no, it’s not a good idea” and I said “look, I am going to do my paperwork and if I get clearance [to land], then I am coming down there”. It is down to me to decide whether it is safe or not.
‘I had done my paperwork, got it all cleared, left the harbour and got as far as Demi des Pas lighthouse and got another phone call from the [Granville] harbourmaster, who has obviously seen that I am on my way from the AIS [vessel tracking website]. He said “the criée [fish market] have said they are not going to take your fish – that is what the administration at the criée have decided. If you come down it will be a wasted trip”. Since then it has just been a stalemate.’
Mr Michieli added: ‘He phoned me back and said that he was in discussion with the administration at the criée and the fishermen so they can resolve things, because they do not want our fish to go to waste. We are sitting here now with the fish on board the boat in refrigeration, but it will only last until the end of the week – we will not get much money if it goes beyond that.’
The fisherman added that he might be forced to sell his catch in Brixham and that virtually all members of the Island’s fishing fleet who landed directly in the EU were also having problems.
Two French members of the European Parliament in Brussels, Pierre Karleskind and Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, have begun calling on the European Commission to intervene in the situation.
They claim that Jersey is not fulfilling its obligations under the new Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement by failing to issue fishing licences quickly.
Deputy Young said: ‘What we have got here are two further incidents of what appear to be threats or intimidation. We were ordered by the single issuing authority that the interim arrangement could not carry on. We were provided with a list of 343 vessels and we have issued 57 [permits] straight away because we have already got the evidence [of the history of them operating in Jersey waters] ourselves.
‘A total of 116 vessels do not meet the track record in the TECA, either because there is no Granville Bay Agreement access permit or a record in the vessel monitoring system. With the rest we have no information and we have obviously asked the French to produce evidence for the others. If that is produced, the licences will be issued.
‘What this identifies is one of the underlying issues which was there under the Granville Bay Agreement – that the French were seeking access for far more vessels than had ever been permitted under the Granville Bay Agreement.’
A letter about the problems has been sent to the European Commission’s Virginijus Sinkevicius – who has responsibility for fisheries – by French National Assembly members Deputies Bertrand Sorre and Stéphane Travert, as well Senator Béatrice Gosselin. European parliament members, Pierre Karleskind and Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, also signed the letter.
On Wednesday[20JAN], External Relations Minister Ian Gorst said he did not believe there would be any long-term issues with landing catches in France.
‘…I would like to provide assurance to our local fishing industry, amidst some issues surrounding the landing of their catch in French ports, that the government recognises that this is a challenging time for our fishermen,’ he said.
‘We are therefore looking at ways to support the industry with meeting the new administrative requirements under the TECA to ensure its viability and sustainability in the immediate to longer-term. Work on the detail of this support is a priority and officers are liaising with industry to deliver as soon as practically possible.’
He added: ‘We will continue to engage with our fishermen and will provide as much information and support as we possibly can now that these new arrangements are in place. Where the terms of the agreement are met in respect of landings, we don’t believe there should be any long-term issues, although we accept there may be some short-term issues that will be addressed.’
