Don Thompson, Jersey Fishermen's Association: Five things I would change about Jersey

Saturday 28 January 2017

If there's something fishy going on in the Island, Don Thompson is likely to know about it.

As the President of the Jersey Fisherman's organisation, he's perfectly pla(i)ced to give us his top tips for change both at land and sea.

1. Let's fight for better rights to fish

Being head of a fishermen’s organisation, it’s got to be top of the list for me to address something about fishing. There’s a real feeling amongst all fisherman that they would really like to see a more robust defence of our fishing fleet and our fisheries resource. They seem to be happy to squander it away or allow the UK, or EU or even Guernsey to persecute our fishermen. It’s not an anti-Guernsey thing. In fact, we take our hats off to Guernsey in that it’s got them into a lot of trouble, but they’ve made it very clear that they will robustly defend their rights to fish in their waters. So talking on a political and officer level, we would like to see a much more robust defence of our fleet and our resource.

Pictured: Mr Thompson wants to see a greater, more robust effort to secure Jersey fishing resources. 

2. Respect your two-wheeled friends - cyclists can counter congestion!

It’s the old perennial: cars. I drive a car, but I also like to ride a bike as much as I can. However, I can often feel like a bit of an alien on the roads of Jersey, as I feel bicycles are not really accepted yet by the general public. The solution to it is maybe to take inspiration from what they do in the Netherlands. Wherever you go on an road, there’ll be a bicycle lane on each side of the road going in one direction each. It’s a really good idea, as in the Netherlands you don’t get that congestion in the city centre. We’re never going to get cars off the roads in Jersey, it just isn’t going to happen, so the solution is to get people onto bikes instead. Let’s get more investment into making things bicycle-friendly.

3. Do the States give a chirp about wildlife?

Now turning 180 degrees onto wildlife, I would love to see a little more investment into it. I don’t know if it should come from the States of Jersey or Birds on the Edge charity, but I would love to see more fallow land – unused fields, etc, of which there are quite a few – to plant bird crops to support wildlife. It would have a really wonderful and positive effect. There’s already a bit going on, and I take my hat off to those who have instigated that, but it almost needs to be States policy.

Pictured: Mr Thompson suggests sewing the Island's fallow fields with bird feed in a push to promote Jersey's little tweeters.

4. Scrap the car checks, Condor

I get niggled when going onto the ferry and always having to go through a security check where you have to empty out your car. They do about half the cars, or a third – not even all of them – and it’s so rare that anyone is found to have something that they shouldn’t in their car. It’s one of those cases where security has gone a mile over the top. It should be done away with to save everybody time and money.

5. First impressions count

Something that really touches me is that a huge number of visitors come to this Island and see Jersey for the very first time from the deck of a fairy, so their first view of Jersey is coming into the harbour in St Helier. And it’s a really horrible sight – with La Collette etc, it’s just so industrial. Then you walk off the ferry and walk up through the Waterfront and spot Kentucky Fried Chicken. Some people like that sort of thing, but I don’t think it presents a very good image of an island that’s proud of its products, and proud of its providence and heritage. I would hope that planners could take this into account and not spoil the landscape any more, but maybe do something to enhance it in the future. 

Pictured: This "industrial" landscape isn't the best way to say bienvenue to our tourists, Mr Thompson says.