THE Island ‘will not see the recovery of its fish stocks’ until licence restrictions – governing how French boats can operate here – are agreed, according to the president of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association.
Don Thompson made the comments after the Blue Marine Foundation called for the ‘immediate’ reinstatement of two previous conditions relating to the size of vessels and their economic links to the Island. Earlier this year, the foundation campaigned alongside the National Trust for Jersey for the creation of a marine park, intended to protect the Island’s waters from damaging fishing activity.
Environment Minister Jonathan Renouf has extended the expiry date for 138 post-Brexit licences given out to French fishers until 31 January 2023, so that discussions over the ‘nature and extent’ of their use could continue.
Mr Thompson – who last year warned that large French trawlers were ‘decimating’ the seabed – said it was a ‘shame’ that this side of the negotiations had been delayed, and that it was ‘crucial’ that the government supported the local fleet.
He said that the Blue Marine Foundation had made ‘critical points’ regarding the two conditions, which included a requirement for vessels over 12-metres long to have ministerial authorisation. He added: ‘What we need to do now is give our fisheries team the opportunity to implement the extent and nature [conditions]. It is a shame that we left it until this stage, as all of these negotiations should have taken place before the licences were issued.’
Earlier this year, the Blue Marine Foundation encouraged Islanders to widen their choice of seafood to help ‘take pressure off’ struggling fish stocks, and instead opt for more plentiful species such as local spider crab.
Mr Thompson said: ‘The nature and extent [aspect of the fishing licences] is what we need and until we get to that stage we are not going to see the recovery of our fish stocks that we need to see.’
However, he noted that there was still an opportunity for the local fleet to grow with government support.
This, he said, could include things like investment in fish processing in the Island to help the produce to reach more markets.
‘Fishing requires reinvestment in the boats and the gear, so it requires a lot of stability and confidence [in the industry]. There are brilliant opportunities but the government needs to support the fleet to adapt,’ he added.
