Economic Development looks to ban unlicensed fishermen from selling their catches
UNLICENSED fishermen will be banned from selling their catches under proposals from Economic Development.
Commercial fishing vessels have to pay to be registered and licensed.
Economic Development said it has become aware that some boat owners who operate unlicensed vessels were regularly selling fish or shellfish in Guernsey, but the scale of this had been brought into sharp focus during the past year. People had used the exemption on pleasure fishing activity during the Covid pandemic to make money from it.
‘If the Committee for Economic Development’s proposals are approved by the States of Deliberation, it will mean that the sale and purchase of fish and shellfish landed in Guernsey will be regulated and this measure will protect the livelihoods of commercial fisherman, who invest in their licensed fishing vessels,’ said committee president Deputy Neil Inder.
The States is expected to debate the matter at its March meeting.
With Covid-19 restrictions in place, commercial fishing activity has been reduced.
According to the States report, the committee began to receive reports that a considerable amount of fish and shellfish were being offered for sale in Guernsey and not by commercial fishermen.
A committee member and representatives of the commercial fishing industry met to verify those reports. The committee had also verified that there were a number of unlicensed fishing vessels that are fitted with the type of gear that it would expect to find on a licensed, commercial vessel. It provided no details on the exact scale of the problem.
The committee said it is concerned that the sale of fish and shellfish landed from unlicensed vessels will erode the local market for products landed from licensed vessels and that this could have a serious impact on the ability of the local commercial fishing industry to recover from the economic impact of Covid-19.
It strongly believes, as a matter of principle, that it is unjust that a person who has used the exemption on pleasure fishing activity, avoiding the investments needed to obtain a commercial fishing licence and register a boat, should be able to exploit that situation, and benefit financially, and in doing so potentially affect the livelihood of the fishermen who have invested in their commercial business. The committee is also concerned that extensive fishing activity from unlicensed vessels will significantly undermine any measures that are put in place through the licensing system to manage the Guernsey fishery and conserve stocks.
