Limit likely on how many fish are sold before licence needed

Economic Development, the States committee which has sea fisheries as one of its responsibilities, is proposing bringing in a ban to stop large numbers of fish and shellfish being sold by boats that have not got a licence.

Guernsey Fishermen’s Association president Barry Paint said he had forwarded details of the proposals to members but had not had any feedback so far.

But he was pleased that moves were being made since the problem was not a new one. ‘It’s been around for years,’ he said.

‘When you’re a professional fisherman and you have a licence to fish, it’s actually a licence to sell the fish.’

Fishermen need to meet a number of criteria in order to qualify for a licence, including being trained in radio operation and having the right safety gear on board.

Depending on the size of the boat and its engines, licences can cost more than £100,000.

Mr Paint said he was aware of a licence bought recently for £10,000 that cost more than what the owner had paid for their boat. The problem was not with people who had a few pots down and looked to sell some of their catch to help pay for fuel, it was larger than that. ‘We know of one person working 90 pots and he’s got an unlicensed boat,’ said Mr Paint.

‘Last winter, when Covid hit, they were selling two lobsters for a fiver,’ he said, and the licensed boats could not compete with these prices.

It is not known exactly how many unlicensed boats there are and that is part of the problem.

What Mr Paint said is likely to happen is that restaurants or supermarkets which buy the fish will have to keep a record of who they buy from.

There was likely to be a limit on how much could be sold before a licence was needed. ‘They’re talking about allowing fishermen to have 10 pots and maybe a couple of nets,’ he said.