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1240/5(1955)
QUESTION TO BE ASKED OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE ON TUESDAY 7th OCTOBER 2003, BY THE DEPUTY OF ST. JOHN
Question
As the Guernsey fishing licensing scheme came into effect as from 1st October 2003, would the President advise members –
- o f thenumberof Jersey fishermenwho have informed the SeaFisheriesDepartment that they have been unsuccessful in obtaining a licence to fish in Guernsey waters? and,
- w hat action, if any, the Committee is taking to resolve the situation to the satisfaction of all the unsuccessfulfishermen,if any, andwhether any meetings between the Islands' authorities have been held in this respect since 9th September 2003?
Answer
- T h e Department was advised by the Guernsey Sea Fisheries Committee following that Committee's meeting on10thSeptember 2003, that ofthe76 Jersey applications for a Guernsey licence only 8 licences were granted; 27 applicants wereasked to provide further information and41 had their applications rejected. Ithasnot been obligatory for individual fishermen to inform the Sea Fisheries officers of their failure to obtain Guernsey licences; however, close contact has been maintainedwiththeindustry.
- O n Monday22ndSeptember 2003, Senator Walker and I, accompaniedbyHM Attorney General and supporting staffmetwith Guernsey Deputies Laurence Morgan, Claire Le Pelley andLyndon Trott at their officersinGuernsey.Theoutcomeofthemeetingwas that the applications of Jersey Fishermen would bereviewedon 15th October 2003, and that they may continue fishing in the watersadjacentto Guernsey until 31st October. Eachunsuccessful applicant would then have a further 28daysinwhichto lodge a formal appeal against that decision. Following the meeting, it is understood that all Jersey applicants received a letter from the President oftheGuernseySeaFisheriesCommitteeadvising them of these arrangements.
W h il st the Jersey delegation was successful in obtaining a short term delay to the impact of the Guernsey
licensing system on Jersey fishermen and in obtaining a more realistic appeals process, there is still real concern for the final outcome. However, in the mean time, the Jersey authorities are exploring how our licensing scheme may be changed to resolve the current problems.