Jersey fishermen join protest over uncertain future

Normandy’s regional committee said fishers have been left "frustrated and powerless"

Jersey and French fishers have gathered at the Minquiers to stage a protest over the uncertainty of their future.

Normandy’s regional committee of sea fishing asked Jersey fishers to join them in the Norman-Breton Gulf on Thursday.

The committee said fishers "feel abandoned" and faced a "continuous erosion of their rights and access to fishing areas".

Fishers have asked for their governments to commit to consultation, and not to use environmental regulations to move French fishers out of their historical fishing grounds in Jersey.

Post-Brexit pressures

The committee said fishers have been left "frustrated and powerless", adding their future was "uncertain" due to "limited access and constantly diminishing rights".

The Normandy committee said there were 152 fishing permits before Brexit, which enabled them to access Jersey waters.

However, it said the figure has fallen by 47%.

It said it wanted a "long-awaited" creation of an approved landing point in Granville, which it said Brexit severed.

The committee said it wanted commitment from the French administration to engage in partial consultation and concrete actions from Jersey politicians.

Jersey fisherman Stephen Viney joined the French protest and said about 50 boats attended.

He said Jersey and French fishers faced similar issues.

Mr Viney said some of Jersey's waters have been "declassified" following Brexit, which he said meant fishers are unable to directly land into the European Union.

French and Jersey fishers share waters and both are fishing for the same species, he said.

"The difference is the French boats are able to go back to France and unload but the same catch on the Jersey vessels is prohibited from landing," Mr Viney said.

"Which is quite a ridiculous situation."

Deputy Ian Gorst, Jersey's Minister for External Relations, said officials continued to work with French colleagues to deliver a stable fisheries management system for the waters in the Normano-Breton Gulf.

He said: "Jersey has long asked for, and remains supportive of, Granville’s objective of opening a SIVEP border inspection post to reinvigorate trade between the island and Normandy."