TWENTY-THREE percent of Jersey’s territorial waters will receive far-reaching protections from destructive fishing practices after States Members unanimously approved the Island’s first Marine Spatial Plan in a landmark vote yesterday.
The plan, which passed with 40 votes in favour and no votes against, sets out how the Island’s “marine estate” should be managed in future and aims to balance marine conservation with the interests of the fishing industry.
While the Assembly supported the main proposition put forward by Environment Minister Steve Luce and also approved an amendment for a robust monitoring framework and timeline to better track the implementation of the plan, multiple attempts to expand marine protection zones were rejected.
The approved plan will increase marine-protected areas, which will ban the 11 boats that dredge and trawl from operating within the zones, from 6% to 23% of Jersey’s waters, although the original draft of the document proposed 27%.
It will also establish a three-tier framework of Regulated Fishing Zones, Seabed Protection Zones and No Take Zones.
More than 150 comments from local businesses, charities, organisations and individuals, were taken into account when putting together the version that was approved in the States.
“A moment of change for Jersey”
Environment Minister Steve Luce opened the debate on Tuesday by speaking about the Island’s growing responsibility for managing its territorial waters.
The Marine Spatial Plan, he argued, sets Jersey on a path towards a “thriving marine environment” that will benefit both people and nature for generations to come.
“This is a moment of change for Jersey,” he said.
Responding, Deputy Hillary Jeune criticised the reduction of Marine Protected Areas from 27% in the original draft to 23% and called it a “political choice” by the Environment Minister.
Deputy Jeune also cited comments made by Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham when he was a Senator in 2021, who described heavy trawling and dredging as “pure vandalism of our seabed” when he launched an unsuccessful attempt to create a marine park covering more than a third of Jersey’s waters.
Deputy Jeune added: “It should be noted that in comparison to static gear, mobile gear is the minority fishing activity within the proposed Marine Protected Areas, and that it will remain permitted in 76.7% of Jersey waters for all or part of the year.”
Her comments come after a review of the proposals was carried out by the Environment, Housing, and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel, which led them to submit two amendments.
In a report published last week, the panel argued that the current iteration of the plans failed to strike the right balance between marine conversation and the needs of the fishing industry.
The report accused the Environment Minister of not going far enough to stay in line with international obligations and warned that delaying protections could result in damage to sensitive habitats such as maerl beds, which are formed by red algae and provide shelter for marine species as well as helping to store carbon.
Deputy Jeune, who chairs the panel, criticised the sharp decline in protection for maerl beds – which she described as “Jersey’s equivalent to a coral reef” – under the minister’s revised plan.
She said that protected areas had dropped from 88% in the original proposal to 33% in the approved plan, despite the Marine Spatial Plan document itself reading: “The use of mobile gear presents the biggest threat to the integrity and viability of key habitats, such as maerl, sea grass and other sedimentary habitats.”
Deputy Tom Coles highlighted research from Plymouth University, noting that 1sq-m of maerl could support up to 173 fish species and contributes an estimated £3.3 million to fisheries in Jersey and France.
“If these areas do not contain fragile ecosystems, they can be released back to fisheries. But if damaged, they may never recover, leaving us with nothing,” he warned.
“Two Economic Development Ministers”
Despite these comments, the States Assembly rejected the Scrutiny panel’s first amendment to expand Marine Protected Areas around the Écréhous, Anquettes and Minquiers – with all five parts defeated in consecutive votes.
This would have banned dredging and trawling in these offshore reefs, areas that contain significant maerl habitats, while activities such as scallop diving, line fishing and netting would still be permitted.
Members did vote to approve the panel’s second amendment, however, which called for a robust monitoring framework to track the plan’s implementation.
This amendment aims to ensure that current and future governments will be held accountable for the plan, and a clear timeline will be established for evaluating its impact.
The Assembly also rejected an amendment put forward by former Environment Minister Jonathan Renouf that called for all decisions on future protected areas to be made within the next two years to provide a “clear” timeline and accountability.
When presenting his amendment, the ex-minister urged faster action to prevent a “self-fulfilling prophecy” where ongoing dredging risks damaging habitats that are being reviewed.
He also suggested that nearly £7 million would be allocated to the farming and fishing sectors which could support affected fishers during transition periods.
He argued: “Sustainability is key – meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.”
Deputy Montfort Tadier, however, raised concerns about political motivations influencing environmental decisions and suggested the Environment Minister was prioritising economic development over environmental protection.
He said: “It seems we no longer have an Environment Minister; we have two Economic Development Ministers.”
“Marine economy is on the edge”
The debate leading up to the vote focused mostly on the need to strike a balance between environmental preservation and economic interests.
While Deputy Jeune emphasised that dredging would still be permitted in approximately 73% of Jersey’s waters, Deputy Luce said that increased protections would have an impact on fishing vessels that heavily depend on specific zones.
“Agreeing these amendments will put some fishers out of business,” he said.
The fishing industry’s concerns also featured prominently in the discussions. A letter from the Jersey’s Fishermen’s Association, read out during the debate, warned that proposed amendments could increase conflicts with French fishers and force Jersey’s fleet into more dangerous and distant waters.
Deputy Andy Howell, meanwhile, said that approving the proposed amendment could affect 11 local fishing boats and their crews.
Deputy Sam Mézec emphasised the need for a “just transition” to protect both the environment and the livelihoods of working people.
“We must support the needs of working people rather than asking them to bear the brunt of it,” he said. “The anger that we would stoke by the economic and social damage would be hard to get over.”
Constable Mike Jackson said he would reject the proposed amendments.
“My reasons are simple: the amendment has failed to embrace the needs of our fishing industry or accommodate changes for fishermen,” he said.
Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel, who supported the Environment Minister’s plans, said: “I have dived on dredged maerl beds, and the devastation is horrific.”
However, the Deputy also argued that the plan struck the right balance between environmental protection and economic sustainability, especially given that “the marine economy is on the edge”.
Deputy Philip Ozouf cautioned against changes that might strain relations with French fishers and called for a co-operative approach involving both French and UK experts to develop long-term strategies that would benefit both the environment and local economies.
Similarly, Deputy Farnham, warned that immediate bans on certain fishing practices could damage relationships with France and the EU.
While describing himself as a “strong proponent” of greater protections for the Island’s fisheries, the Chief Minister spoke about the need for a “phased approach” to ensure sustainable practices while protecting the local fishing industry.
Deputy Farnham therefore urged members to reject the Scrutiny panel’s amendments and support the phased approach proposed by the government.
“The phased approach will help us manage our fisheries, protect our local economy, and maintain our diplomatic relationships with our French neighbours,” he said.
“Biodiversity crisis”
Several States Members who were supportive of greater marine protection spoke passionately about the need to consider the long-term impact of decisions made in the Chamber this week.
Deputy Louise Doublet urged her colleagues to think about the rights of future generations when voting on environmental issues: “We are facing a critical biodiversity crisis, including in our waters.”
Deputy Karen Wilson echoed these sentiments, warning that Jersey could not afford to prioritise short-term economic gains over the health of its marine ecosystems. “We can’t fish the last fish or cut down the last tree and expect to keep thriving,” she said.
