A PRIVY COUNCIL judgement this week would wreck years of conservation work, said former Sea Fisheries Committee president Ron Le Moignan. Deputy Le Moignan also joined those expressing concern for Guernsey fishermen and fishery stocks after a ruling allowed UK and Jersey boats into fishing grounds between the three- and 12-mile limits.
The UK’s highest court decided that The Sea Fish Licensing (Guernsey) Ordinance 2003 cannot apply to the three- to 12-mile belt.
‘It’s very disappointing and the consequences are going to be dire for the resource,’ said Deputy Le Moignan.
‘All the hard work that has gone in over the years by fisheries committees and staff to maintain a good fishery in our waters is going to be eroded.
‘It’s a valuable fishery to this island - it’s a diverse fishery and it has kept the supplies for the tourist industry.
‘I’m not saying that won’t continue but there will be a great deal of pressure put on the Guernsey fishermen and they don’t deserve that,’ he said.
‘For many years we have operated conservation regimes which have made the area very attractive.
‘If we are going to have to allow these fishing boats in from Jersey and the UK, it’s going to put great pressure on stocks.
‘The real problem is, if they are going to have extraterritorial waters with an extra influx of boats, who is going to police them?
‘Jersey are desperate to get into our waters because they made the Bay of Granville decision with the French and that was much to their detriment. I don’t think Jersey waters are as productive as they used to be.
‘It’s a very worrying situation - a bad day both for the island’s fishermen and the stocks.’
He said he would watch with interest how the new situation was regulated - as Jersey and possibly ‘monster’ UK boats could fish up to the three-mile limit.
‘We have a higher size allowance for some species than Jersey and the UK,’ he said.
He believed the Privy Council’s decision to uphold the appeal by the Jersey Fishermen’s Association and several English companies must have been marginal.
‘I don’t see as many Jersey boats coming as there used to be. It’s a smaller fleet now mainly with smaller boats.’
A Sea Fisheries spokesman said yesterday that it planned no changes to policing.
‘There are no requirements for licences in the three to 12-mile but boats will have to conform to UK and European Union legislation which has always been in place,’ they said.
Article posted on 5th May, 2007 - 12.00am
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