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WQ.433/2021
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. BRELADE
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 25TH OCTOBER 2021 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 1ST NOVEMBER 2021
Question
Will the Minister advise whether he has had discussions with the French, E.U. or British authorities over the scientific evidence that supports the Island's strategy in managing fish stocks in local waters; and, if not, why not?
Answer
Through the Marine Resources team at the Department, we have a long-established working partnerships with research and management organisations in France, the UK and at an international level.
For the key stock of lobster, we hold a Joint Marine Stewardship Council accreditation with the Normandy Committee Regional de Peche. This is just coming up for its 5-year review and is supported by research by our team, the French fishers and IFREMER, France's official Marine Research body.
Work from this group, alongside work on crab, then feeds up to the ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Seas) CRAB working group to which we have been part of for several years. ICES is the scientific body that advises the EU. The working group consists of stock managers and key researchers from across the north Atlantic and we hosted their annual conference in 2019.
Similarly, in 2020 Jersey joined the ICES SCALLOP Working Group so as to start bringing forward our management and understanding of current research into King Scallops. We have initiated a collaborative research programme with Normandy using their stock sampling methods and offering to share data for comparability.
On whelks, we collaborate with the French but also the UK Whelk working group set up via the IFCAs (Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities) with whom we also partner on a broad range of research themes.
We are members of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain and use this and its subgroups to further our access to current and developing research and management strategy for key shellfish stocks.
We have long standing partnerships with the University of Plymouth and the University of Exeter working on issues including Marine Protected Areas, Blue Carbon and Tuna tagging. We also have strong relationships with the University of Portsmouth and Bangor University in Wales. Recently we have started to build ties with St Andrews University, the leaders in the Blue carbon field.
We share management information with both OSPAR and Ramsar and finally we submit annual data and statistics to both CEFAS (the UK Gov marine science body) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation to contribute to their larger data sets.
I am proud to be able to say that the Marine Resources team work in partnership with all these bodies, and others including several NGOs, to better understand the latest science and to inform best practice management strategies that can be adopted to build sustainable Fisheries not just for our region but, in collaboration with our partners, within the wider Norano Breton Gulf.I expect these relationships and collaborations will continue to develop and grow in the future.