EFFORTS to “secure and rebuild the lobster fishery” were among the first items of business dealt with by States Members following their return to the Assembly floor this week.
An amendment from Environment Minister Mary Le Hegarat to increase the minimum landing size for lobster from 89 mm to 90 mm was approved this week.
It is the last of three increases to implement a gradual rise from 87 mm that started in 2024.
Senator Le Hegarat said: “This incremental process, agreed in partnership with the fishermen, is the foundation of our work to secure and rebuild the lobster fishery over the coming years.”
She noted that, while the benefits of the changes were “not instant”, they should be “long-lasting in the increase they bring to the breeding populations”.
“Later this year, I intend to bring forward further industry-supported measures to support this and other sustainable fisheries in our waters,” the minister added.
“In line with the principles of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, we have a responsibility to fish sustainably and using the precautionary principle for stock management.”
Deputy Hilary Jeune, who chairs the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Panel, said that the measure followed “an established stock management strategy”, had been “properly consulted on” and “phased sensibly”.
She noted that “a limit is only as good as its enforcement”, adding that the panel emphasised that “effective monitoring and enforcement of minimum-size regulations matters just as much as setting the limit itself”.
