The official version of this document can be found via the PDF button.
The below content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments.
Name: Leon Dessoude
Details:
I am a local inshore fisherman.
I was pleased that Brexit would result in the demise of the Bay of Granville Treaty. As a member of the JFA committee I have seen first hand how it was impossible to negotiate with the French committee to revise the Bay of Granville Treaty or control the number of vessels that they were prepared to issue permits to. Within the shared waters of the B.O.G. local vessels have little interest in fishing in the French sector while all French vessels want to fish in the Jersey sector. They can and do right up to our 3 mile limit and within the three mile limit on the offshore reefs.
Towards the end of the Brexit negotiations we were led to believe that the Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey) would have an agreement imposed upon us by the UK government that it would be the same for all three jurisdictions and that we would not be able to veto the decision. This was a worry but at the same time it was going to be the final nail in the Bay of Granville Treaty. At the same time Senator Gorst was spouting words to the effect that we were not obliged to ratify any such agreement.
What we have ended up with is a situation where Isle of man have their 12 mile limit; Guernsey have 6 and 12 miles and we have a three mile exclusion zone. (I think we are the only jurisdiction on the planet with a three mile exclusion zone and it has been imposed upon us by third parties!) Lets hope Mr Gorst can live up to his promise because this is not acceptable. He appears to have little to no understanding of Jersey's fishing industry and it's history and seems to be prepared to sacrifice it's future for his own ends (no doubt involving Jersey's parasitic finance sector and all the shady dealings that that involves). In short he is a lose cannon who will not listen to us or tell us what he has said or what he intends to say to the French.
In trying to keep to the brief and not go on a never ending rant about the predicament of local fishermen I will give my opinion as to what I think the end of the Bay of Granville Treaty and Brexit should have achieved for Jersey's current and future fishermen.
CONTROL OF OUR OWN WATERS! IDEALLY 12 MILES BUT SIX MILES ACCEPTABLE.
This was a fantastic opportunity that appears to have been squandered. You guys who are supposed to represent us really seem to have "snatched defeat defeat from the sharks jaws of victory"
Reply required: Yes