An overhaul of the island’s fisheries regulations relating to trawling, netting and dredging – that would also deliver the expanded network of marine protected areas agreed by the States Assembly over a year ago – has been put forward by the Environment Minister.
The amendment lodged by Deputy Steve Luce bring together rules on mobile and passive fishing gear into a single regulatory framework, replacing the existing inshore trawling regulations and closing identified loopholes.
These measures take several important steps in delivering the priorities of the Jersey Marine Spatial Plan as well as ensuring modern fisheries management standards can be followed in Jersey in line with the UK and EU
Environment Minister Steve Luce
If approved, the updated regulations will also deliver the bolstered Marine Protected Area network specified under the Jersey Marine Spatial Plan – which was approved in October 2024 in a bid to widen the percentage of Jersey’s territorial waters where trawling and dredging are banned.
Deputy Luce’s amendments would see the main sections of the expanded MPA network come into force in September, with remaining changes phased in by January 2030.
In the report accompanying his proposition, Deputy Luce stated: “These measures take several important steps in delivering the priorities of the Jersey Marine Spatial Plan as well as ensuring modern fisheries management standards can be followed in Jersey in line with the UK and EU.
“The amendment simplifies and clarifies several issues for fishers and will aid officers in enforcing regulations when breaches occur.”
A raft of technical updates also seek to close various “grey areas and loopholes” within static netting such as unregulated sand eel fishing and beach-set nets at the offshore reefs.
Additionally, there would be new minimum mesh sizes for gill nets, expanded restrictions on inshore netting during daylight hours, requirements for clearer net marking, and simplified bycatch limits “that will be clearer for fishers to adhere to and for fishery officers to enforce”.
Seasonal closures to protect breeding stocks and reduce conflicts with other marine users are also expanded, with provision for future changes by Ministerial Order.