Fisheries Annual Report 2008

Fisheries and Marine Resources Annual Report 2008

Fisheries & Marine Resources  Planning and Environment Department  Environment Division  

Howard Davis Farm

Trinity

Jersey

May 2009

Executive Summary

2008 was characterised by a number of significant events that touched both the fishing industry and the wider marine environment. A major storm on 10/11 March appeared to cause considerable silt loads to be activated in the Granville Bay and this was visible for a number of months and may have had other more lasting effects. Fuel prices increased very markedly and although they declined again by the end of the year they undoubtedly had an effect on fishing effort. Research work revealed that the whelk population had continued on its decline and there was some concern about recruitment to the stock. Finally the Coastal Zone Management Strategy was agreed by the States Assembly and work began implementing the strategy.

Although substantially less gear was set at sea the capture fishery in 2008 faired quite well and landings generally were good. The only stock currently giving rise to concern is the whelk stock and talks to improve management measures have begun with the relevant fishing communities.

There was a small increase in the intertidal area farmed which, coupled with more efficient use of existing areas, saw an increase in the production of farmed shellfish to 955 tons an increase of 21% and the highest production recorded.

The value of the total landing catch (including aquaculture) in 2008 increased by 14% from 2007.The total value of the industry was £6.75m in 2008.

Research and monitoring work on the important species confirmed that whilst lobster and ormer stocks were holding up the whelk stock was currently in decline. This was mirrored by similar French work and a dialogue had now begun amongst the fishing communities to improve management of the stock.

This information has already been circulated to the fishing community via a regular newsletter and updates onto the Fisheries website (www.fisheries.gov.je) at frequent intervals.

Enforcement work continued apace and did not give rise to many serious unexpected incidents and fishing effort at sea was found to have reduced marginally probably because of the fuel crisis. The role of marine enforcement continues to widen with regulation of the wider marine environment becoming an important aspect of the work undertaken. The majority of complaints from the public concerned beach set nets and hooks and although a variety of gear types were seized no cases resulted in a court appearance usually because the offender could not be identified. The regulatory section of the team has also been heavily involved in new pieces of legislation most of which should come before the States in 2009.

In  October  2008  the  States  Assembly  approved  the  Integrated  Coastal  Zone Management Strategy and to implement this the post of Marine and Coastal Officer was created within the Environment Division with no increase in overall headcount by reorganisation in other areas.

The officer appointed will work within the Fisheries and Marine Resources section thus the role of the section has expanded to cover the wider responsibility and the officer will be able to call upon the facilities available within the section to undertake his work.

To enhance this wider environmental role the Fisheries and Marine Resources Panel was  also  joined  by  the  Chairman  of  the  Marine  Biology  section  of  the  Société Jersiaise.

In summary 2008 was an eventful year in which landings of fish and shellfish were maintained. The section has pursued its regulatory work with diligence and has provided wide ranging advice to a variety of bodies including the Fisheries and Marine Resources Panel. The section has also widened its sphere of operation to encompass the agreed Coastal Zone Management Strategy and will be joined by a Marine and Coastal Officer to put the strategy into action in early 2009.

Contents

1. International Work .............................................................................  4
2. Legislation .........................................................................................  5
3. Industry – Capture Fisheries ...........................................................  6
4. Industry – Aquaculture ....................................................................  13
5. Industry – Economics ......................................................................  15
6. Research and Development ............................................................  17
7. Food and Environmental Protection Act .......................................  22
8. Enforcement .....................................................................................  23
9. Integrated Coastal Zone Management ..........................................  28
10. Annexes .........................................................................................  29

1. International Work

1. France

Work has continued with France mainly in the administration of the Granville Bay Treaty with two meetings in France and one in Jersey being held between fishermen, research staff and administrators in this respect. Two officers also attended the Basse  Normandie  whelk  fishermen's  meeting  in  Carteret  to  discuss  whelk management in April.

2. Europe

The Senior Fisheries Inspector attended one of the EU Regional Advisory Committee meetings in Paris to present the views of the Granville Bay participants concerning the new EU Technical Conservation Regulations.

3. United Kingdom

Meetings of the Chief Fishery Officers, the UK Sea Fisheries Committees, the UK Crustacea management group were also attended. The annual meeting between Defra and Jersey officers to discuss the operation of the Fisheries Management Agreement between the UK and Jersey was held in London in November. The UK Shellfish Managers meeting last year held in Guernsey was also attended and one of the keynote papers on joint fisheries management was presented by Simon Bossy.

The Food and Environment Protection Act (FEPA) regulates dumping and building works in the sea. To keep the administration of this Act in Jersey the same as in the UK a "Marine Consents" meeting was attended in London which acted as a forum for both industry and administrators addressing the functioning of the Act throughout Britain.

2. Legislation

The following legislation was agreed by the States in 2008.

Sea Fisheries (Inshore Trawling, Netting and Dredging)(Amendment)(Jersey) Regulations 2008.

3 pages

This regulation provides additional controls for the use of set nets on beaches.

The following strategy was agreed by the States in 2008 Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy

39 pages

This strategy sets out to provide a single coherent set of policies to manage Jersey's marine and coastal environment.

3. Industry – Capture Fisheries

3.1. Fishing Vessel Licensing

As of the 31st December 2008 the fleet comprised 163 licensed fishing vessels, 97 of which were shellfish qualified. This included 17 Class A (over 10 metre) licences and 146 Class B (10 metre and under) licences. This created 772 gross tonnes, 13016 kW and 9209 Vessel Capacity Units (VCU's). There has been a continued decrease in the size of the fleet in terms of vessel numbers, and also a reduction in terms of vessel capacity units, largely due to the loss of 3 over 10m vessels; however as 2 of these over 10m boats were not active and the third mainly fished from Brixham their loss is not likely to have much effect on catches in Jersey waters.

Table 1. Number and Vessel Capacity Units (VCUs) of licensed vessels.

3.1.1. Licence Transactions

During the year 21 new licences and 26 new entitlements were issued; however no additional (Piggy Back) licences were issued. Thirty three entitlements have also been used, 22 entitlements were placed onto Jersey vessels, 8 entitlements were transferred  to  the  UK  and  used  to  licence  UK  registered  fishing  vessels,  2 entitlements  was  transferred  to  Guernsey  and  1  entitlement  lapsed.  No  licence entitlements were transferred from Guernsey to Jersey and no licence entitlements were transferred from the UK to Jersey. As of the 31st December 2008 there were 19 valid Jersey licence entitlements, 7 of which were shellfish qualified.

Table 2. Fate of fishing vessel licences

statistical data began in 1996. Nevertheless catches of crab and lobster were good at 480  tons  and  162  tons  respectively.  It  is  always  a  good  sign  that  despite  less recorded  fishing  effort  the  catch  levels  for  crustacea  are  maintained.  It  is  also interesting to record that the spider crab fishery which had been poor for a number of years showed signs of recovery with a 69% increase in landings to 178 tons.

3. Catches

While the crustacea fishery appeared to flourish, the whelk landings showed a drop of 247 tons or 45% to 297 tons. This may be accounted for in part by fishing effort being directed at whelks for only part of the year by some whelk fishermen who then directed  their  effort  elsewhere.  Nevertheless  whelk  stock  assessment  work  (see research section) has shown that the whelk stocks are in a relatively poor state particularly to the east of the Island and some remedial management measures should be considered by those fishing communities that exploit the stock.

Table 4. Quantity of shellfish landed by the Jersey fleet

Notes

1. 2007 onwards includes dredged and commercial dived.
2. Others include prawn, velvet crab, cuttlefish, squid, praire, amande.

In the wetfish fishery bass landings increased slightly to 18.5 tons which is just above the 10 year running average of 18.4 tons. Conger catches were down by some 10.1 tons to 7.1 tons. This is likely to be a function of fishing effort as the number of longline hooks set also declined by some 30%. In contrast landings of ray were up by 30.1 tons to nearly 80 tons making this fishery the most important wetfish around Jersey by weight and value as in 2007.

Table 5. Quantity of wetfish landed by the Jersey fleet

Notes

1. Figures for some years include catches from outside Jersey Waters
2. Other species included flounder, pouts, rockfish, sandeel, sand sole, shark, smooth hound, trigger fish, whiting and wrasse.

Other

Whelk 0%

20% Brown crab

34%

Spider crab 12%

Lobster Scallop 11%

23%

Figure 1. Shellfish landed by weight

Whelk Other

Spider crab 8% 0% Brown crab 7% 19%

Scallop 17%

Lobster 49%

Figure 2. Shellfish landed by value

Sole Other Bass Conger

1% 6% 13% 5%

Dogfish

7%

Mackerel 5%

Mullet 1%

Ray

52% Sea Bream Plaice 3% Pollack 2%

5%

Figure 3. Wetfish landed by weight

Sole Other

5% 7% Bass 31%

Conger 1%

Ray Dogfish 45% 1%

Sea Bream Mackerel 2% Pollack Plaice Mullet 2%

3% 2% 1%

Figure 4. Wetfish landed by value

4. Catch per unit effort

Table 6. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) for selected shellfish species

Notes

1. Pot lifts include parlour pots, inkwell, creels, D pots

4. Industry – Aquaculture

During the year there were several changes with respect to concessions on the foreshore. The Seymour Oyster Company increased the size of their concession in the Royal Bay of Grouville to allow for the development of the business.

The Jersey Oyster Company took over Jersiaise Fluke Ltd and amalgamated that concession with another of the company's sites to the north. These changes resulted in an increase of just over 5hectares of the intertidal zones granted as concessions for the purposes of aquaculture

Overall production increase significantly with just under 1000 tonnes of shellfish farmed, an increase of 21% on the previous year. All three species farmed on Island increased production over the year, with production of king scallop and mussels doubling.

Turbot remains the only finfish farmed in the Island by Jersey Turbot in the tunnels at St Catherine's. Production for 2008 was just less than 1 tonne.

Table 7. Farmed shellfish production (area in hectares; production in kgs)

Note

1. Area pre 2004 relates to actual area farmed. 2005 onwards relates to total concession area granted.

The other major issues for this sector of the industry remain the same as highlighted in previous reports, that being land based infrastructure and the freight links to France.

Land  based  infrastructure  are  required  for  the  grading,  sorting  and  depurating produce and the storage of vessels and equipment. They are vital for the survival of the business.

Freight links to the continent continue to be an issue for exports. There have also been  some  issues  with  French  customs.  Whilst  deputations  have  had  detailed discussions with service providers and authorities in Jersey and France a solution is yet to be found.

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15891588704158438880022BA80288030803A801781A782 781 78083581287A5718891AA7975981278776704273573237573247276252378A13476559A74570A74659740857425794B17437567874514A62772289A774208556627737023677276586976707878A7574736654615337210A(C91036A5)0A11A106069(4A439G15614A605)115AA10190695A614A615A6141153(GA56141065A)642416615B13764364131638135173490A13154A0162114724623411413631A41661011645195817918821178118734890749A1861874071251185A95702A16994075A061908676994869757501175629A961177A0075(G23965691)69634917537777190573127294201827672A874224702701718957085A34B12267378792512083280724028811437841320290397833A5282A1A373481A3821270A22104512C2471413182C214219A3A272044A2711A2B6932472B4732670B29622259624878536254324260922286A6271652625942A232704422277662632A2634A322707A66BB26432024B126A352266424A62A585A2626256A5A262962A96A8A22686297216A7271A26727145093A27472D522957005A03586504550328B95589548592528B54756522563522A85A985A26A5543626B395A21A5754465AA3455534495A 612

1590 805 807 810 301A 357

703

08

839 846847836 82382B824(G17035)825739 83C8383A384401A

809

837 810A 63

41A41B410 410 409409 421A 421

3

64

4

6 5 3365 58 236 532 53B

68 43381941 42 5250 44885A14539 81 79 1081A0810121291 129 145 15615715125125154 1155331196971971B981971A98 119988AA 0220A2200BC 270 515888455583525355887754 580580 57543A59A56A

21A 204

203

7 549

1919 132 56

684 106 132 19 5577 571571 571C

4864785848382 121A05A12120124 114487 51 151049 5965A90 593595498 616314 60609A

46 284285275 275A372A72A72C

887 9810 104105102 125126 596 597 638C66338A5B638 6211661610616709

639 638B

91 94 97 01B01102B 102A

01A

01C

Figure 5. Aquaculture concessions as of December 2008.

5. Industry – Economics

Table 8. Value of shellfish landed by the Jersey fleet

Table10. Total value of the fishing industry at first sale

The value of the total landing catch (including aquaculture) has increased by 14% from 2007.The total value of the industry is now £6.75m. Of note is the continual steady increase in value of the aquaculture sector, representing 20% of the total value of the industry.

6. Research and Development Whelk

The  annual  whelk  stock  assessment  was  done  in  February  in  relatively  good weather. Methodology and equipment were standardised in keeping with previous studies. Unfortunately one experimental string of pots was lost due to trawling activity and, although some pots were subsequently recovered, the valuable data was lost. The results of the survey were not encouraging. The catch per unit effort (CPUE) was 1.55 kg per pot, the lowest recorded in all surveys and well below the threshold level of 1.8 kg per pot required to sustain a viable commercial fishery. A significant drop of 50% in the CPUE of the undersize fraction of the catch was also recorded compared with 2007. The 2008 study gave a possible indication of recruitment overfishing. Officers presented these data to the Panel, the JAC and the Basse-Normandie whelk commission with strong recommendations that management measures needed to be implemented as soon as possible.

Recommendations  have  been  made  for  several  years  that  implementation  of additional management measures for the whelk fishery are required given the high exploitation rates and certain biological characteristics of this species.

Lobster

The juvenile lobster stock assessment was done in May and June employing the same methodology and equipment as in previous surveys. The CPUE of pre-recruit lobsters was less than had been recorded in earlier studies by 15% and catches at the various sample stations differed significantly. The lobster fishery continues to show  heavy  dependence  on  new  recruits  to  the  fishery  and  this  remains  the fundamental weak link in the success or failure of the lobster fishery.

Further work is needed to assess the relationship between CPUE of pre-recruits and the  CPUE  of  sized  lobster.  The  study  will  be  repeated  in  2009,  although  the scheduled refit of the Norman Le Brocq may impact of this work.

35 30 25 20 15 10

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

5 0

86 91 96 01 - - - -1

57-61 62-66 67-71 72-76 77-81 82 87 92 97

102-106 107-111 112-116 117-121 122-126

Carapace length (mm)

Figure 6. Length frequency distribution of lobster

A new assessment tool for the lobster fishery was trialled this year. To try to devise a different index to assess the state of the lobster stock plankton light traps were designed and built. The trap consisted of a plastic tube sealed at one end with a funnel at the other end. A light source was suspended in the trap and directed out of the funnel end of the trap. Lobster larvae have the ability to move towards a light source. The traps were set for approximately 18 hours. A number of different species were recorded in the traps but unfortunately no lobster larvae were caught. Although disappointing, the trap design worked well and the light source proved adequate for the duration the trap was set, which was the primary goal for the programme for 2008. It is likely that the traps were set too late in the year to catch lobster larvae. The 2009 study will look to set the equipment over a longer temporal period.

The plankton light trap in situ and example of crustacean larvae caught

Ormer

The annual ormer survey was undertaken in June. The dive team assessed the ormer population at the three selected sites, namely St Catherine's Breakwater, St Brelade's Bay and the Pipettes at Les Minquiers. Numbers of ormers found at St Catherine's  breakwater  were  comparable  with  previous  studies,  no  evidence  of mortality was recorded and good numbers of small ormers found. Divers found fewer ormers at the site in St Brelade's Bay than the three previous surveys. There was some anecdotal evidence of mortality but the significant problem experienced by the divers was the high level of silt covering the seabed. The disturbance to the benthos during the search released silt into the water column that made it impossible to look for the ormers. Considerable time was spent waiting for the visibility to improve. This silt was probably deposited after the major storm in March when large amounts of fine particulates were re-suspended in the water column or washed down into the coastal zone.

The  survey  found  no  significant  change  in  the  number  of  ormers  found  at  Les Minquiers  since  2006.  The  difficulties  sited  in  previous  reports  still  exist  at  this location and the hope that alternative locations at the offshore reef would be found have yet to be achieved.

Ray

The tagging of ray continued throughout 2008 by project partners. No tagging was done by the section. By the end of 2008 809 fish had been tagged (184blonde, 516 small eyed, 7 thornback and 101undulate). 138 recaptures were reported (41 blonde, 85 small eyed, 1 thornback, 11 undulate). A paper entitled " Preliminary observations on the movements of skates (Rajidae) around the Island of Jersey, western English Channel." has been drafted and will be published in 2009. Fishermen continue to be encouraged to record catch of ray by species and not the generic term "skate/ray". Identification guides were sent out in the Newsletter although correct recording is poor. Efforts to improve this will continue in 2009.

Routine

Routine sampling and monitoring continues to be a significant time and manpower commitment. The following table shows the programmes undertaken by the section.

Table 11. Routine sampling programmes.

Eco-logs

2008 saw the introduction of a recording system that was termed the "Eco-logs". These were two pro-forma logs that aided officers in recording observations at sea of various events. The first was the marine species log. This enabled the recording of pertinent information of all sightings of any species including marine mammals, rare fish species and birds. The second was the offshore reef log. Inspection of the offshore reefs has been undertaken for many years but has tended to focus on commercial and recreational fishing activity. The log allowed for the recording of other information including number of vessels at anchor and people ashore as well as  species and number of birds sighted. It is hoped that these logs will become a valuable resource over time in helping to assess activity, both human and wildlife.

Cetaceans

Dolphins were sighted on 32 separate occasions in 2008. This was the highest number  of  sightings  ever  recorded.  All  sightings  were  identified  as  bottlenose dolphins. Most sightings occurred to the east of the Island ranging from Les Ecrehou in the north to Les Minquiers in the south. Dolphins were also sighted to the south of the Island east of the Demi de Pas lighthouse. Dolphins were also recorded once at Corbiere and once at Greve de Lecq. Pattern and frequency of patrols remained relatively unchanged in 2008 compared with other years. Grey seals were sighted on 7 separate occasions with all sightings apart from one at Les Ecrehou. The other location was the Pipettes, Les Minquiers.

0.35 0.3 0.25 0.2

0.15 0.1 0.05 0

4 95 96 7 8 1 02 3 4 05 6 07 8

199 19 19 199 199 1999 2000 200 20 200 200 20 200 20 200 2009

Year

Figure 7. Dolphin sightings from Fisheries Protection Vessels

Note Vessel and patrol pattern changed 1997/1998.

Statistics

As  stated  in  previous  reports  the  collection  and  analysis  remain  vital  for  the management of exploited stocks and the overall wellbeing of the marine ecosystem. Since 2007 it has been a requirement for all commercial vessels to supply daily logsheets. These data are collated on a quarterly basis and provide up to date information for the Department, Fisheries and Marine Resources Panel and Minister to  ensure  appropriate  management  is  in  place.  Fishermen  were  encouraged  to record as much information as possible in the logbook particularly species of fish and not just generic groups.

Customer Focus

Customer focus is a core value of the States of Jersey and the section continues to strive for excellence in this. As well as the Fisheries Office at La Collette providing an accessible location for the industry to drop in and a meeting room should they require the section also produces a number of publications for the industry and general public alike. Three Fisheries and Marine Resources Newsletters were published by  the Department in 2008. The newsletter format has been used for many years as a way to inform the industry of important information including legislation and licensing issues.  The  Newsletter  is  also  distributed  to  other  interested  parties  including Fisheries  and  Marine  Resources  Panel  members,  boat  associations  and  tackle shops. It is also published on the website

Information leaflets are also published giving information on general recreational fishing, angling and low water fishing. A minimum size card is available with the size in English, French, Portuguese and Polish.

A section of the States website is dedicated to fisheries and marine resources. Here can be found on all aspects of the section's responsibilities as well as links to all the relevant legislation.

During the years the issue of plastic waste generated by the fishing industry during normal  operations  was  addressed.  The  method  of  disposal  of  plastic  waste  by fishermen varied between individuals. Some brought back plastic to dump ashore whilst others disposed of plastic at sea. This activity is illegal and clearly has a detrimental impact of the marine environment both to wildlife and aesthetically. The section provided two Eurobins situated at strategic locations around the harbour for the sole purpose of disposal of plastic waste by fishermen. The Parish of St Helier agreed to empty the bins at regular intervals.

Waste disposal facilities for fishermen at St Helier harbour

7. Food and Environmental Protection Act

No formal applications under the Food and Environmental Protection Act (FEPA) were received during the year.

Officers  in  an  observation  capacity  did  spend  time  onboard  a  survey  vessel conducting a biological survey to the east of the Island. The survey was been done as part of the environmental assessment for the proposed electric cable, running from France to Jersey.

8. Enforcement Summary

During the year very few serious offences were detected against the regulations relating to either the conservation of stocks or the right of foreign vessels to access specific parts of the territorial sea. Of the total of 43 offences detected, 23 related to breaches of regulations concerning the submission of statistics, marking of gear and other similar requirements.

Whilst such offences may appear less important, they invariably need investigating as they may result from an intention to hide a more serious issue. The need to obtain catch statistics is increasingly important, in addition to assisting in the management of  the  fishery,  such  data  also  provides  an  invaluable  track  record  for  individual fishermen. Against  a  backdrop  of  changing  management  measures  at  United Kingdom and European Commission level, such track records are often used to assess the stocks which individual fishermen may target. It is therefore disappointing that considerable officer time was required to remind fishermen to submit these statistics. In one case where the reminder letters were persistently ignored, an individual was prosecuted at Parish Hall level.

Possibly  as  a  result  of  high  fuel  costs  and  commercial  factors,  the  number  of professional  French  registered  vessels  seen  fishing  in  the  territorial  sea  was significantly  lower  than  normal.   For  that  reason  fewer  offshore  patrols  were conducted.

A combination of unsuitable weather and tides during the year also meant that low water fishing activity was considerably reduced on normal, and this is reflected in the small number of checks of individuals conducting such activities.

Plastic waste dumped at sea from a commercial fishing vessel

With the fisheries team taking on wider responsibilities for management of the coastal zone, resources were used to monitor activity at the offshore islands and enforce other environmental regulations. Two fishermen were sent advisory letters in relation to dumping plastic at sea in contravention of environmental legislation. Officers also attended training in wildlife watching and used this knowledge to advise recreational boaters on how to behave in the vicinity of marine mammals.

Enforcement of Minimum Size Regulations

A total of only 9 offences against the Minimum Size regulations was detected during the year, despite an above average number of inspections being conducted. This is the lowest number of offences in a year since 1996, and in that year considerably fewer inspections were conducted. Whilst the overall number of such offences fell, the number attributable to Jersey based fishermen remained stable.

One professional Jersey fisherman was successfully prosecuted at the Magistrate's Court for two offences occurring in 2007. This fisherman had elected not to appear at earlier Court hearings and his arrest had been ordered, he subsequently came to the Court's attention as a result of an unrelated matter.

Enforcement of Exclusive Limits

During routine patrols, fishermen onboard three French recreational fishing vessels were found to be angling inside the Jersey three mile exclusive limit. On each occasion the vessels were boarded and then left the area, the owners being sent advisory letters.

No  incidents  of  commercial  vessels  fishing  inside  the  limit  came  to  light. Enforcement of Granville Bay Agreement

During  the  early  part  of  the  year,  a  French  scallop  dredger  was  found  on  two occasions to be fishing a short distance inside an area to the south west of the Island where such activity is not permitted. After receiving an advisory letter for the first offence, the skipper was prosecuted at Town Hall level in relation to the second offence.

During October a third vessel was found to be fishing in another restricted zone without the required permits and without being on the official list, as supplied by the French  government. The  skipper  of  the  vessel  was  subsequently  fined  at  the Magistrate's Court and the owner is scheduled to attend the same Court in 2009.

Routine inspections in January also revealed five incidents of French skippers failing to  carry  their  Granville  Bay  permit  onboard. As  these  vessels  were  on  the appropriate  lists  the  owners  were  sent  advisory  letters.

Logbooks

The skippers of vessels more than 10 metres in length have long been required to submit log sheets relating to fishing activity on a regular basis, but regularly need reminding to do so. The skippers/owners of vessels smaller than that need to put in sheets four times a year and again need regular reminders to do so. Whilst only one  such incident has so far resulted in a Parish Hall Enquiry, these reminders take a considerable amount of resources, both in terms of officer time and postage charges.

Other Offences

 The skipper of a French registered scallop dredger was fined at the Magistrate's Court for exceeding the 5% bycatch rules that apply when dredges for scallops are being used. He was also fined for failing to complete the required official log book in which catches must be recorded. A second incident of a more minor nature resulted in the skipper of the vessel concerned being sent an advisory letter.

Spider crabs exceeding 5% bycatch

The skipper and crew of a Jersey based scallop dredger were prosecuted and fined for carrying onboard meat taken out of scallop shells. This regulation exists to ensure that fishermen do not circumvent the minimum size regulations (which relate  to the size of the shell), although there was no evidence to suggest that this was the reason on this particular occasion.

A commercial Jersey fisherman was also fined for not fitting escape gaps to Parlour pots. Parlour pots are a type of lobster pot with an inner chamber from which lobsters cannot escape; gaps are therefore required to allow undersize lobsters to escape  to  avoid  predatory  damage  from  larger  lobsters  entering  the  pot. Two recreational fishermen were also sent letters relating to more minor breaches of this regulation. Six commercial Jersey fishermen also received advisory letters in relation to pots which were not fitted with the mandatory annual tag.

The skippers of two Jersey registered commercial fishing boats received advisory letters  relating  to  the  dumping  at  sea  of  plastic  waste  originating  from  boxes containing bait. The Environment Division has provided two plastic waste containers at the Harbour specifically for this type of waste; it is hoped that this should help reduce the number of such incidents.

Complaints

A total of 27 complaints were received during the year and whilst 13 of these were found  to  relate  to  legal  activities,  1  complaint  resulted  in  an  individual  being prosecuted at Parish Hall level and several others resulted in fishermen receiving advisory letters.

The complaints covered a number of fishing activities, but as can be seen from the pie chart, the majority related to fishing activities on the Island's beaches. Whilst officers invariably followed up the complaints relating to nets and hooks set on the beaches and a number of nets were seized, in the majority of cases nets were either abandoned or incorrectly marked.

Limits  Others

Trots/hooks Unmarked

gear

Unlicensed  

fishing

Nets on beach/inshore

Undersize

fish/shellfish

Figure 8. Complaints received by the section in 2008.

Departmental and Other Resources

 The Norman Le Brocq patrol/research vessel has again achieved a high degree of availability throughout the year. In addition to fisheries patrols and research work, the vessel was also used in connection with wider Planning and Environment work on a number of occasions. Monitoring and recording of activity at the offshore islands was conducted on a regular basis and other work included advising members of the public  on  how  to  conduct  themselves  when  watching  wildlife,  especially  marine mammals. The vessel assisted Jersey Coastguard on three occasions relating to search and rescue missions.

The Voluntary Fishery Officer has continued his work throughout the year, helping to increase  an  enforcement  presence  out  of  hours  and  to  educate  recreational fishermen in the conservation regulations.

Officers have liaised closely with Honorary and States Police on a number of issues. The work of the St Helier Centeniers and their support staff in particular has assisted greatly  in  maintaining  a  creditable  and  effective  enforcement  regime.

Development

Work has continued on developing new advisory material for recreational fishermen; new slip and pier advisory signs will be put in place during spring 2009 and a new minimum size sticker is in final draft form.

Preparatory work has commenced on revising the local fisheries regulations to take into account the complete revision of the two major sets of European Commission fishing regulations; due to be enacted in 2009/2010.

Other legislation being prepared during the year includes the following drafts, all of which have yet to be approved:-

1. Bag Limits for lobsters, bass and ormers.
2. Limits on the number and size of dredges.
3. New method of measuring the mesh size of trawl and static nets.
4. A vessel monitoring system for vessels exceeding 15 metres in length.
5. A tightening up of the licensing regulations.
6. Tighter controls including a specific licence for pelagic trawlers operating to the south east of Jersey.

9. Integrated Coastal Zone Management

In October the States of Jersey agreed to implement the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy (ICZM). Whilst this sounds rather technical the concept is simple. It is about securing better management and informed decision making on coastal issues so that there is confidence that the vital coastal and marine resources are being managed in a sustainable way. The strategy sets out a number of policies under four distinct aims:-

1. Protect and conserve coasts and seas.

This section refers to the protection of wildlife, habitats, geological diversity and cultural heritage. It includes policies to give better protection through both designation and  introduction  of  management  techniques  and  technical  measures  to  control activities that are already taking place, such as fishing.

2. Increased understanding of the marine and coastal zone.

Far more is known about the land parts of Jersey than the sea and so the system for protecting the land is far more advanced. However, the coasts and seas are coming under increased pressure from issues such as reclamation, offshore wind farms, the impact of climate change and an unprecedented growth in marine and coastal leisure activities. If these are to be managed appropriately it is necessary to improve our knowledge of the marine environment.

3. Promote and encourage sensitive use of natural resources.

A large part of this section concerns the need to recognise the role of spatial planning in managing our coasts and seas, and in particular, to ensure that policies within the Island Plan review reflect the principles of the strategy. It is important to develop management plans for the RAMSAR sites.

4. Working with stakeholders.

Community involvement is vital to deliver the objectives and support actions in the strategy. Eco-active provides one of the mechanisms for achieving this. A dedicated programme  (Eco-active  marine)  will  be  developed  to  increase  community understanding of the issues raised in the strategy so that all Islanders will have an opportunity  to  be  involved.  This  section  also  deals  with  the  development  of educational programmes with schools.

The Marine and Coastal Officer was appointed made in December and work on this strategy will begin in 2009.

10. Annexes

Annex I. Officers at the Department 2009

Andy Scate   Chief Executive Officer Environment and Planning Chris Newton  Director of Environment

Dr Simon Bossy  Head of Fisheries and Marine Resources

Mike Smith   Senior Fisheries Inspector

Greg Morel   Marine and Coastal Officer

Dave Yettram  Fisheries Officer (Administration and Enforcement) Jon Shrives   Fisheries Officer (Research and Development) Matt Lewis    Fisheries Officer (Operations)

Felicity Smith  Administrative Assistant - Fisheries

Mike Harris on  Relief Helmsman

Bryan Nicolle  Voluntary Fisheries Officer

Annex II. Fisheries and Marine Resources Advisory Panel 2008.

Mike Taylor   Chairman

Constable Mike Jackson   States of Jersey

Don Thompson  Jersey Fishermen's Association

Trevor Le Cornu  Jersey Aquaculture Association

Natalie Porritt  Merchants' Representative

Ian Syvret   Jersey Inshore Fishermen's Association

Peter Gosselin  Angling Representative

Chris Le Boutillier   Boat Owners' Association (north coast)

Paul Le Neveu  Jersey Harbours

Chris Newton  Director of Environment

Dr Simon Bossy  Head of Fisheries and Marine Resources Mike Smith   Senior Fisheries Inspector

Greg Morel   Fisheries Officer (Research and Development) Felicity Smith  Fisheries Administrator

Annex III. Shellfish landed by over 10 metre fleet.

Annex VI. CPUE for the over 10 metre fleet

Annex IX. Wetfish landed by the over 10 metre fleet.

Annex X. Wetfish landed by the 6 - 10 metre.

Annex XI. Wetfish landed by the under 6 metre.

Fisheries and Marine Resources  Planning and Environment Department  Environment Division  

Howard Davis Farm  

Trinity  

Jersey JE3 5JP  

Tel:  00 44 1534 441600 Fax:  00 44 1534 441601 Email: fisheries@gov.je www:  www.fisheries.gov.je