Fishermen call on Government to take back control of local waters

The Jersey Fisherman's Association says the government needs to take back control of the island's waters to protect the industry.

They are warning that the waters around Jersey are becoming overcrowded, due to a treaty with France which was signed in 2000.

The agreement gives Jersey and French fishermen the right to freely fish within the bay of Granville.

The French currently issue permits for boats to fish in the waters and Jersey issues permits for its vessels too.

However, the Jersey Fisherman's Association say that the number of boats using the shared space is becoming too high and it is having an impact on stock levels.

Tomorrow the Association is holding a protest in St Helier to campaign to the government to take back control of the waters.

The Assistant Minister for the Environment, Gregory Guida, says he is aware of the imbalance regarding the current arrangement with France.

He says it is important for Jersey to see what happens with the UK and its waters with regard to Brexit before coming to new arrangement here that would not be right for the island.