This Is Guernsey

By Joel de Woolfson

EXTENDING Guernsey’s territorial waters would sustain the fish supply around the island, according to senior sea fisheries officer Jon Torode. Mr Torode said it would protect the livelihoods of many local fishermen.

‘Once in control of the three- to 12-mile waters, if we wish to put in conservation measures in the area to maintain stock sustainability, we will be able to,’ he said.

‘It’s a concern at the moment that we will be over-fished because we currently have no control.

‘Guernsey fishermen are 100% behind this because if we are taking better care of the stocks, it means their livelihoods are better protected.’

Currently, Sea Fisheries has to deal with many complaints about large trawlers fishing three-and-a-half or four miles offshore.

It has no power to do anything about this because Guernsey has control only within a three-mile limit of its shore.

If the proposal to increase Guernsey, Sark and Alderney’s territorial waters is successful, the islands will have the power to stop the depletion of fish supplies.

Richard Nash, director of client services at Commerce and Employment, said he was positive that the islands could get ‘pretty much’ the same agreement that they had put together in 2003 when they issued licences from three to 12 miles through a local ordinance, which was later found to be unlawful.

‘We would hope that Defra and the Ministry of Justice would agree that for conservation and to protect the local fisheries industries we should be able to keep the size restriction ‘no fishing boat larger than 17 metres’ that was brought in in 2003,’ he said.

Mr Nash said the Sea Fisheries Department was delighted that the MoJ had decided to treat Guernsey in the same manner as other Crown dependencies such as Jersey and Isle of Man, which both have 12-mile territorial seas.

‘It is a reasonable principle that we should all be treated the same isn’t it?’ he said.

Guernsey Fishermen’s Association president Pete Munro said increased territorial waters would sustain fish levels.

‘It would be beneficial to the island in general,’ he said.

‘It would give the fisheries something to police and monitor the fish effort. The catching capacity of the large vessels would be limited when it comes in, which will allow the stocks to replenish or migrate through the waters.’