'The final nail': Fishing industry fears for jobs if Jersey's Marine Spatial Plan goes ahead
Fred Dimbleby speaks to those whose jobs are on the line...
Jersey's scallop fishing industry fears a proposal to expand protected waters around the island could be "the final nail".
The draft of the Marine Spatial Plan includes the introduction of protected zones in nearly 30% of the island's waters.
If the plan went ahead, the main form of scallop fishing would not be possible in those areas.
Scallop fisherman, Stephen Viney, told ITV News he felt he was being pushed out of the industry: "It's hard enough as it is and this the final nail... the areas they're talking about are probably the most important areas to us that we fish, they're sheltered from the prevailing winds and we've probably done 80% of our fishing in these areas last year."
The government is still carrying out a consultation on the issue and held a 'drop-in' session for islanders on Thursday night, although Environment Minister Deputy Jonathan Renouf did not attend.
In a lively meeting, the fishing community told government officers of their fears about the impact of the scheme and said they felt not enough time had been given to the consultation period.
The officers appeared to sympathise with concerns about the speed of the project.
However, the fishing community told ITV News they still felt their views were not being listened to.
Fish merchant Gabby Mason said: "This whole consultation process is happening really very quickly and we feel there hasn't been very much engagement. There are serious livelihoods at stake here."
Don Thompson, the Chairman of the Jersey Fishermen's Association, added: "We are right down to the lowest number of fishermen that we've ever had on the island since World War Two.
"The minister's plans are rushing ahead rather than taking one step at a time and are of serious concern to the industry."
Deputy Jonathan Renouf said: "The purpose of this consultation is to gather the views of all islanders.
"Marine Resources ran a number of workshops with stakeholders earlier this year, and are now running a series of drop-in sessions throughout November and December to give Islanders an opportunity to speak to officers about the draft Marine Spatial Plan. "Between January and March next year, the plan will then be further refined, based on the suggestions gathered in the consultation process, to ensure that any impact on businesses is balanced with the need to protect our environment."
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