‘Loss of harbour site will make finding bait difficult’
BAIT digging will become more challenging after the loss of St Peter Port Harbour, local anglers have said.
Fishermen will not be able to dig for bait in the harbour from the end of the year.
Guernsey Harbours said there were plenty of alternative sites for digging.
However, West Coast Sea Angling Club’s president Tim Froome said this was not the case and that the ban on bait digging in the harbour would mean a loss for the island’s anglers.
‘There has been comment that there are plenty of locations for anglers, but there’s not really,’ he said.
‘For local baits, such as king ragworm, in particular, there are only a couple of places, including St Sampson’s, which had a ban put in place due to chemical pollution from sewage, then there is Longstore, which has been over-dug, and the beach opposite Vale Pond. Now, St Peter Port.
‘It is something that needs to be discussed further, really.’
The president of the Guernsey Boatowners’ Association Nick Guillemette said the ban was not wholly unexpected.
‘There are one or two problems with bait digging in the area, so the ban doesn’t surprise me at all,’ he said.
‘Because it is a commercial area, when people dig holes, if they dig too close to moorings, this can potentially damage the deadman [mooring block] and this is what takes the weight of the boat.
‘But I’m not against bait digging in the slightest, there has always been bait digging in this area, but I am aware of the problems it can cause.’
There are several locations around Guernsey that are popular for bait digging, most notably Belle Greve Bay and Grand Havre.
Bait digging has already been banned at St Sampson’s Harbour on safety grounds, while digging in St Peter Port Harbour can only currently be carried out at certain low tides, and areas of the harbour with permission.
The decision to ban it completely was taken following an internal review by the Port Operations team and other stakeholders.
A States spokesman confirmed that the ban has been put into place due to the harbour being used for commercial purposes.
‘Does anybody want to consume fish that has been caught using bait from an area where boats come in and out of and moor?’ he said.
‘There are other much better beaches to get your bait from, better sites for it.
‘It’s only really a small minority of people who work there, so it won’t be affecting masses of people.’
At the moment, fishermen have to apply to dig bait and Guernsey Harbours have said any existing permissions will run out as of 31 December.
