Senator Ian Gorst made the comments yesterday as the French government warned that it would begin implementing sanctions against Jersey, Guernsey and the UK from Tuesday as the protracted dispute over fishing licences intensifies.
At the same time, he said that a dispute between France and the Island over the type of evidence which can be used to obtain a Jersey fishing licence had not been resolved.
‘We know, from the announcements that the French administration has made, that they are acting unilaterally and we, with the support of the UK government, believe that they are in breach of the trade deal. They are, of course, not just targeted at Jersey. They are targeted at the United Kingdom.
‘If you look at the trade deal it is quite clear that there are mechanisms in place in the instance of disagreement and those mechanisms are not unilateral measures by any particular member state or party to the trade deal.’
In order to obtain a Jersey fishing licence, French vessels must prove that they fished in Island waters for a minimum of ten days in 2017, 2018 or 2019.
Jersey’s government says that, according to the terms of the Brexit deal, they can only accept evidence of this in the form of logbook data – something vessels should have been compiling when they fished in local waters under the old Granville Bay Treaty.
However, it is claimed that some French vessels are trying to use ‘less accurate’ types of data and have the backing of their government.
Senator Gorst said: ‘On Tuesday, we said we would be prepared to take the VALPENA data – which is a form of plotting where a vessel may have been and digitising it – and that any vessel [with this evidence] would be put into the temporary licensing category and that we would allow them to provide the further evidence that would be required in order to get a permanent licence.
‘We did that as an act of goodwill and, of course, that is not the only technical data issued, the other is the SACROIS data, which divides up, in effect, Jersey territorial seas into four rectangles.
‘But when you look at those rectangles, just because a vessel has been in one part of that rectangle does not mean to say that it has been in Jersey waters. One of them has Jersey waters and the D-Day landing beaches in it – you can see just how distant a vessel could have been.’
A total of 162 French vessels, which have proven a history of operating in Jersey waters, will be licensed and allowed to fish here from today. However, 49 of those have been given temporary permits and must provide additional evidence before 31 January to continue fishing here.
A further 55 vessels which Jersey says have not met the licence criteria have been warned not to work here beyond the end of the month – unless, in the meantime, they prove their eligibility.
Senator Gorst added: ‘It is quite apparent to us that vessels which previously fished in our waters had to complete logbooks and it is frustrating to say the least that those logbooks have not fully been provided if they exist.’
He also confirmed that a package of financial support was being drawn up to aid Jersey fishermen if their activities were affected.
‘The Environment Department and Economic Development Department are finalising a support package for affected fishermen but we should say that, of course, it is not clear as we talk exactly what unilateral measures or retaliation might be taken – whether it is just direct landings which are stopped or whether it is wholesale landings.
‘It would appear that it is the former but there will be more rigorously enforced SPS [sanitary and psychosanitary] checks on wholesale imports. We continue to work with French colleagues on what those measures will mean and with colleagues here in Jersey around support packages.’
