Announcing the news during the States Assembly on Tuesday, Senator Lyndon Farnham, the Economic Development Minister, said that a previous scheme had been turned down due to the “many millions” of cost attached.
It comes after Deputy Steve Luce, the former Environment Minister, enquired about the support available to local fishermen during the current health crisis.
Describing the current situation, Deputy Luce said the fishing fleet was “tied up in harbour not fishing”, while they are denied access to export markets.
He noted that Jersey and Guernsey were the only places in Europe to lack a specific scheme to help fishermen.
Pictured: The entire fishing fleet is “tied up in harbour not fishing”, Deputy Luce said. (Government of Jersey)
“Meanwhile, our French neighbours have access to French and European tie-up schemes, have access to sales markets and indeed continue to fish in Jersey territorial waters to the detriment of our Jersey fleet and sustainability of stocks. What is the Minister doing about this?” he asked the Environment Minister.
Deputy John Young said he had met several times with representatives of the industry, along with his Assistant Minister, Deputy Gregory Guida, who chairs the Marine Resource Panel.
Noting that Deputy Luce’s description of the situation was “very accurate”, Deputy Young said both phases of the co-funded payroll scheme did not “meet the needs to keep the fishing fleet at sea”.
He therefore said that another scheme had been devised to provide financial support based on meeting costs of keeping vessels in a safe condition as well as on the landing history his department has.
Pictured: Deputy Young said he was frustrated the scheme still had not been approved.
He however voiced his frustration at the fact the scheme was still in the “pipeline”.
“The business case is in the chain,”he said. “I am not quite sure where it is but I don’t have access to thatfunding, so I would probably divert the attention to the Treasury and the Economic Development Minister as to where that proposal has got.
“But I believe it’s absolutely imperative we provide that financial support because otherwise we will be the only jurisdiction in the British Isles not supporting amnesty.”
Following up on the subject, Deputy Mary Le Hegarat asked the Economic Development Minister to clarify what financial support he was looking at for the fishing fleet.
He said that a draft paper had just been received following the “good work of Deputy Guida and officers”.
Pictured: Senator Farnham said the new scheme was “a much more realistic and financially affordable position”.
The paper, which sets out a course of financial support to help the fishing fleet through the pandemic, is due for consideration by the Council of Ministers “as soon as possible” the Minister assured.
He told States Members a previous scheme had been rejected by the Council of Ministers because of the “cost of many millions of pounds attached”.
“That previous scheme proposal did not take into account that the fishing fleet was able to get access to the phase 2 payroll scheme which it is doing so now,” he added.
Senator Farnham described the new scheme as “a much more realistic and financially affordable position”, hoping that fellow Ministers will accept it “as soon as possible”.
The Environment Minister is also working on a separate piece of legislation to curb the number of French vessels that come fishing in local waters, which he described as a serious issues.
He said his officers were working on draft regulations that would define areas where they don’t want to see French vessels “tacking, or at least going for, working our spawning grounds”.
Pictured: Islanders have joined an ‘alternative’ fish market to support local fishermen.
Meanwhile, islanders have been supporting the local fishermen by joining an online fish market to buy their catch.
Set up by islander Jez Strickland on Facebook, ‘Jersey Alternative Fish Market’ now counts over 10,000 members,allowing fishermen to advertise their daily catch, ranging from crabs to lobsters and sea bass.
CLICK HERE to join the ‘alternative’ fish market.