Fishermen angry over offshore wind proposal

Don Thompson said the fishing industry was "already struggling for survival"

Plans for an offshore wind farm could spell the end of Jersey's fishing industry, an association has said.

It comes after the States Assembly on Wednesday voted in favour of further investigating the potential for an offshore wind farm off the south-west coast.

Don Thompson, president of Jersey Fishermen's Association, said the industry was already "struggling for survival".

Deputy Steve Luce, Minister for the Environment, said the government would assess any environmental concerns and consider possible mitigations of the proposed wind farm.

'Extreme hypocrisy'

Mr Thompson said the fishing industry was already looking at a ban of 27-30% of its fishing area because of the proposals in the Marine Spatial Plan.

The plan recommends the creation of marine-protected areas across almost 30% of Jersey’s waters - meaning boats with nets, lines and traps would not be permitted to fish in the area.

He said the proposal to build a wind farm would further reduce the area where they could fish.

"We are already struggling for survival and to take another 10% of the area where we can fish would be the end," he said.

"To ban fishing in some areas because we might disturb the sea bed and then, in the next breath, government now proposes to tear up the sea bed in a way the fishing industry would never do, screams of extreme hypocrisy."

Politicians voted to further explore the potential for a wind farm off the south-west coast

Deputy Catherine Curtis, of Reform Jersey, backed the proposal but felt compensation for the fishing industry "should be seriously considered".

Another backer of the proposal, Deputy Hilary Jeune, head of the environment scrutiny panel, said the panel wanted to make sure "an environmental impact assessment is done robustly and it's done by experts and to the best international standard".

The next stage of the process would be for the government to bring a draft law in the autumn to outline legislation to lease out the sea bed.

If a wind farm is built, the government proposes allowing a private company to operate it while paying Jersey for the lease.