Jersey fishing community 'fearful' over proposed marine plans

Members of the fishing community came together at a public drop-in session to voice their issues with the plan

Seven fishing boats in Jersey could be out of business "overnight" if a recommended plan is implemented, members of the fishing community say.

The draft Marine Spatial Plan was published in October to recommend ways of protecting the island's marine environment.

Changes to the way the fishing industry could work were made in it, including over the use of boats with mobile gear.

Deputy Jonathan Renouf said the plan could "help the fishing industry".

Deputy Renouf, the minister for environment, said: "We've been working on it [the plan] for quite a considerable amount of time and consulting with the fishers for that amount of time as well.

He said new marine protected zones would mean more fish in the sea, "and that will be good for all of us."

He added: "I hear what people are saying, and if we need a bit more time I'm sure we can do that."

Members of the fishing community came together at a public drop-in session on Thursday to voice their issues.

Gabby Mason, from Jade-S Fisheries, said she was worried about new recommended protected zones.

Nathalie Porritt and Gabby Mason say they fear for the future of dredging and trawling boats if proposed plans are implemented

The plan recommended creating marine protected areas (MPAs) across almost 30% of Jersey's waters, with boats with mobile gears not being permitted.

Mobile fishing gear includes equipment such as nets, lines and traps that can be moved around while fishing.

Ms Mason said: "From our understanding, as an industry reading through the draft document, it certainly indicates to us that they are going to put a full ban on all mobile gear boats within those proposed areas, which would put seven boats out of business overnight.

"We are certainly for a plan, but we definitely want a longer time period for the consultation; not rushing something through in a very short timescale."

'Very fearful time'

Nathalie Porritt, a fishing merchant at Aquamar Fisheries, said the proposed areas would particularly affect the scallop industry.

She said: "Last year, approximately 80% of the caught scallops came from the proposed areas that the Marine Spatial Plan will impact.

"The plan that we've seen as an industry is that no mobile gear at all will be allowed to operate in a designated area.

"So, on that pretence, it is a very fearful time for the fishermen that do operate those boats and the merchants that do rely on that product."

Don Thompson said the timeframe for the finalised plans were "totally unrealistic"

Don Thompson, president of the Jersey Fisheries Association, said the community was "concerned" politicians were "rushing something".

He said: "The Marine Spatial Plan we don't object to, per se. But the timeframe that the Fisheries Department team has been put under is totally unrealistic.

"People are really fearing for their livelihoods if we have to have this completed in such a short space of time."

Deputy Renouf added: "Marine protected areas are designed to help the fishing industry in the long term and, I think working on this together, I'm hopeful we can create a sustainable fishing industry going forward.

"The best thing we can do with marine protected areas will mean we'll have more fish in the sea and that will be good for all of us."

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