French fishermen fined £30,000 by Royal Court

Tuesday 08 March 2016

Two French fishermen have been fined a combined total of £30,000 after being caught dredging for scallops within Jersey’s three-mile limit.

Arnaud Delalonde, owner and skipper of the fishing vessel Pescadore, and Tony Mesnage, skipper of fishing vessel Saltimbanque, admitted fishing inside the island’s exclusive limit and misreporting fishing zones in the vessels’ logbooks.

Pescadore was found fishing inside the exclusive three-mile limit during a night time operation, and officers used satellite tracking and other electronic data to establish that both Pescadore and Saltimbanque had fished inside the three-mile limit on a number of other occasions.

Arnaud Delalonde pled guilty to offenses on six separate occasions and was fined £20,000, while Tony Mesnage admitted to four separate occasions and was fined £10,000.

Assistant Director Marine Resources, Greg Morel, said “This was a complex investigation and I am very pleased with the outcome. The regulations are in place to ensure our important marine resources are fished sustainably for this and future generations.

“The court has sent a clear signal that breaking these rules are viewed very seriously and with be dealt with in a way that reflects this.”

Like many nations around the world, the UK and France claim territorial waters 12 miles from their shores, however, where territorial waters overlap, they will be divided on a median line. Jersey and the Isle of Man both have territorial waters extending up to 12 nautical miles, although Guernsey’s remain at three nautical miles.

Jersey has held an exclusive fishing zone extending three miles from the low water mark since the UK and the French signed a treaty over the Bay of Granville in 1839.