Hundreds of fishermen marched on Jersey's Royal Square in protest over the ongoing fishing dispute

Jersey Fishermen have staged a protest in St Helier this afternoon (10 December) demanding more support from the government over licenses.

Protestors have called on the government to "stop giving into the French".

Don Thompson, Chair of the Jersey Fisherman's Association is calling for urgent action to save Jersey's disappearing fishing fleet.

He laid out a set of demands on the Government and said if change doesn't happen soon, then further protests will continue in the coming weeks.

Jersey's Fishing Association are demanding the government uphold the Trade and Economic Cooperation agreement (TECA) and ensure a level playing field is secured as part of ongoing negotiations.

Here are some of the demands from Jersey's Fishing Association on the Government:

  • Calls for the Government to uphold the Trade and Economic Cooperation agreement - that's the deal made following Brexit - and demand that anyone in breach of it is denied access to Jersey waters.

  • They want a level playing field so all vessels licenced to fish in Jersey waters face the same restrictions on what they can and can't land.

  • And finally, a parity in licencing. They want the Government to review the licence giving process and revoke any where fraud is evident.

Meanwhile a deadline set by the EU for Britain and Jersey to grant dozens of outstanding licences ends today. Talks between UK Ministers and the French are ongoing, but it's unclear what will happen when the deadline passes.