New protection for offshore reefs?

Saturday 20 May 2017

The Minister for the Environment is proposing new measures to protect the offshore reefs of Les Minquiers and Les Écréhous.

Over the past few years the Department of the Environment has established a network of ‘no mobile fishing gear’ zones along the north, east and south coasts. These are designed to protect important seabed areas from damage linked to trawling and dredging. It is proposed this protection will now be extended to Jersey’s offshore reefs with the creation of a zone of almost 50km2 at Les Minquiers and one of more than 15km2 at Les Écréhous.

The reefs are home to extensive areas of seagrass, maerl and kelp. These are important in the breeding cycles of fish, crustaceans and molluscs, including many commercial species, so the Department of the Environment believes protection will benefit the local marine environment and the fishing industries by increasing the stock of marine life in our waters.

The Minister for the Environment, Deputy Steve Luce said, “I am delighted that we can bring this project to its conclusion as I know that a huge amount of work has gone into reaching this point. It is to the credit of all involved, from the Société and Seasearch to the Commercial Fishermen’s Association, that we have come so far. Once again we should be proud that Jersey has been proactive and forward thinking in seeking to protect our important marine resources for current and future generations.”