A UK-based animal rights organisation has criticised Jersey’s plans to allow charter fishing of bluefin tuna later this year – warning that the move risks reversing hard-won conservation gains for a species that only recently recovered from near-extinction.
Animal Aid campaign manager Rob Hill said the group was “dismayed” by the Government of Jersey’s intention to permit charter fishing for Atlantic bluefin tuna in local waters for a three-month period.
The move would enable approved businesses to offer “catch and release” charter trips between August and October.
Guernsey is also considering similar steps, although is still in talks with the UK government over the decision.
Atlantic bluefin tuna are fast-swimming and wide-ranging fish that have always occasionally ventured into UK waters, but became an extremely rare sight through the latter half of the 20th century after being fished close to extinction.
In recent years, however, the species has become increasingly abundant in the territorial waters of the Channel Islands, France and the UK thanks to improved international management.
We say leave them be
Animal Aid campaign manager, Rob Hill
In a statement, Mr Hill said: “Rather than being quick to re-exploit these incredible fishes, whose population numbers only recovered through strict restrictions on commercial fishing, including sport angling pressures, we say leave them be.
“All marine life around the planet is under pressure, with major drivers being overfishing, pollution and climate change. We evidently need to reset our attitudes towards the natural world.
“We should be celebrating the return of the bluefin into your waters as a victory for the ocean’s wider ecosystem, in which they play a fundamental role as an apex predator.”
The criticism comes in response to an update from Jersey’s Environment Minister Steve Luce, who told the States Assembly last month that the Government was moving forward with plans to become part of the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, which oversees the management of bluefin and related species.
The UK became a party to the convention post-Brexit, and has now authorised charter fishing for the species in Jersey’s territorial waters once the extension is finalised.
Deputy Luce said that fishing licences would be available in 2025 and argued the change would support Jersey’s fishing industry.
“[This would] benefit the island’s fishing communities and allow diversification to the fishing industry,” he said.
Extending the convention to cover Jersey waters would end the current situation where UK companies can apply for licences for charter fishing, but their counterparts in Jersey are unable to do so.
Members of Jersey’s fishing community have been supportive of the proposed extension, saying that it could benefit several parts of the economy, including hospitality businesses as well as those directly involved in fishing.
Guernsey on the other hand is still working with the UK government with a view to extending the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunes to our waters.
If that happens, a fishery for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna could open here – but it’s still a way off shore.
A spokesperson from Sea Fisheries recently confirmed the talks are ongoing and the preparatory work will continue under the new Economic Development Committee, led by President, Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller.
“Guernsey officers are still working with the UK government on the extension of ICCAT to the Bailiwick of Guernsey,” the spokesperson said.
“This has involved a compliance review of the legal framework in place locally, and whether further changes might be required before extension.”
