Single Jersey fisher gets commercial tuna licence

Members of the fishing industry have expressed 'huge disappointment' that only one Jersey boat has been granted a licence to catch and kill bluefin tuna.

It is the first time island fishers have been able to apply for part of the UK's commercial quota, but only one of six Jersey applicants was successful in the lottery system managed by the UK government.

Officials said they would prefer Jersey to manage its own commercial quota in future, arguing that licences could then be tailored to the island's fleet.

A UK government spokesperson said it "recognises the concerns" on the island and that it is "working closely with the Government of Jersey regarding the future management of the fishery".

Gabby Mason, vice-chair of the Jersey Fishermen's Association and co-owner of Jade-S Fisheries, said the outcome had been "really disheartening".

Her application passed the initial stage but was not selected in the lottery.

She said: "It really was a potential of a new pioneering industry for Jersey and something that really could have helped our industry and helped more boats through what has been a very difficult time."

As well as being the first year Jersey fishers have been able to apply for part of the UK quota, there has also been a change to how licences are handed out.

Previously, applications were considered on individual merit, but this year a lottery system was introduced.

The only successful applicant, Shetty Chavan, said he was "very happy" to get a licence but wished more island boats had been successful.

He said: "What will be good is if Jersey gets some sort of small quota ourselves, and if the Jersey government makes the decision on how to hand it out."

He added it was a financial risk to have to continue applying for a licence

He said: "I've got to change all my gear these times. And, if I don't get next year again, that will be a big effect.

"Also, if the fish doesn't turn up, I'll be spending a lot of money".

Chavan said he would be open to sharing his allocation with other boats so they had had "more chances to catch" tuna, but he was not sure if that would be allowed.

Alex Plaster, from the Government of Jersey's marine resources team, said one licence was a "good result" for Jersey, but he understood why some were disappointed.

He said Jersey should be able to grant licences itself.

He said: "Wherever you are, the fishery for tuna is different from Jersey to Guernsey, let alone the fishery between Jersey and the UK; so we want to make it niche and we want to make it right for the island."

Plaster said the system needed to be "tailored to Jersey" and that, because the process had been designed for bigger, UK boats, other issues had influenced the result too.

For example, one licence allowed a vessel to catch four tonnes of tuna.

He said: "We do know a lot of our applicants they didn't want to apply because the quota was actually seen as too high for a Jersey fishery."

Peter Tarrant, director of Fishwise, said there had been "some disappointment" but described one commercial licence and the four tonnes as "the right amount" for Jersey's first year fishing for tuna.

"If we've got more, the question would have been how well would we have handled it," he said.

He added that, in the longer term, Jersey having its own quota to distribute licences locally "would be the ideal scenario, rather than one licence holder having the whole allocation".

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