POLITICS has been the overriding factor in the fishing-licence dispute.

Guernsey Fishermen’s Association president Peter Munro said Guernsey fishermen were not in dispute with their Jersey counterparts and that it was all about politics. ‘What appeared originally to be straightforward has become very complicated,’ he said.

Guernsey introduced a licensing system in October that barred Jersey and UK boats from commercial fishing within the island’s three- to 12-mile limit unless they were licensed.

The Jersey Fishermen’s Association and UK companies challenged the ordinance in Guernsey’s Royal Court.

On Tuesday, Lt-Bailiff Patrick Talbot QC ruled that Guernsey’s States had exceeded its powers and that the ordinance was unlawful.

Mr Munro said that Sea Fisheries had told local fishermen more than 10 years ago that a licensing system would eventually be introduced.

‘We understood that we would need a Defra licence to fish legally in British waters outside the three-mile limit,’ he said.

‘We were told nine months ago that owners of boats that did not have licences should buy them.’

The local industry had not been consulted when the ordinance was being drawn up and the court’s decision meant things were back to where they were nine months ago.

‘We wanted to see conservation of stock in local waters but we were not happy with the limits on boat size and horsepower, which restricted the growth of the industry.’

The Guernsey Fishermen’s Association is to meet the Commerce and Employment Department in a fortnight’s time to discuss the matter.

‘If we remain the only place in the British Isles not to have a licensing system, we could be very vulnerable to over-fishing.’