LES Sauvages reef has the potential to provide a “far more significant” no-take zone than Portelet Bay, according to the chair of Jersey Marine Conservation.
Kevin McIlwee made the comments after the government published an update on actions being achieved as part of the Marine Spatial Plan, which was adopted in 2024.
Among the MSP objectives categorised as “in progress” are the plans to designate a new no-take zone at Les Sauvages.
The existing no-take zone introduced at Portelet Bay in 2022 is being retained and will continue to be monitored.
The designation, as outlined in the MSP, carries “the highest possible level of protection, where all fishing and the removal of any aquatic resources (defined as any living creature, plant or seaweed) are forbidden”.
Jersey Marine Conservation, which seeks to document and protect the Island’s marine environment, was one of the organisations that provided the government with information about Les Sauvages.
Mr McIlwee said that the reef has the potential to provide “a far more significant” no-take zone than Portelet Bay.
He said: “With the original Portelet no-take zone, it was a small achievement from a geographical perspective, but a big achievement from a political one – in that it was the first time that we managed to actually get an area that was, in fact, completely protected from any type of fishing.
“So it was a giant leap, although it was still quite small.”
He highlighted that Les Sauvages “is quite different”.
“It lies geographically in the middle of this huge sea area and it is what you could perhaps term as a distribution site,” he explained.
“It’s an important place for species to breed and therefore disperse from that area and that’s what is seen now as a key part of any marine protection model, is the ability of species to breed and disperse.”
The MSP states that “subject to the impacts and effects of the Portelet Bay and Les Sauvages no-take zones being found to be positive, further no-take zones will be considered within Jersey’s waters. These should be targeted to achieve social and biodiversity goals.”
