Guernsey Press

‘It’s a cultural thing in France to protest’

POLICY & RESOURCES treasury lead Mark Helyar had a special interest in yesterday’s tense dispute in Jersey – he had just started a new job as a sea fisheries officer when Guernsey’s own fish wars broke out nearly 30 years ago.

Published
Monday 29 March 1993. French Fishermen from Normandy moored in Guernsey in protest at Sea Fisheries officers’ attempts to police fishing limits. Guernsey Police discuss the next move while the ‘pecheurs’ sit on the quayside as talks go on. (29520822)

He said it was an exciting time, operating while tensions were high on the seas in contested areas such as Les Roches Douvres and an area known as the Sark Box.

‘I do remember that in one French blockade they went up to the Royal Court to speak to the Bailiff and then the French consul bought them all fish and chips from the Fountain Street chippy on the way back,’ he said, after attending an Institute of Directors event yesterday.

‘It’s a cultural thing in France to protest, though it turned slightly more sinister the following year when they protested and burned down the parliament building in Rennes.’

That event occurred in 1994 during a protest about fish prices, when flares were let off outside the assembly and landed on the roof of the building.

He described yesterday’s blockade of St Helier as a clash of cultures. Fishermen of all nationalities were strong-willed and worked in difficult and hazardous environments, he said, which gave them a different view of life.

‘But I think one thing you can be sure of is while they are blockading harbours, they are not fishing and not earning, so the imperative for them is going to be to get back to work.’

Deputy Helyar also experienced Royal Navy back-up while on operations as a local sea fisheries officer.

‘We have always had that support and I think it does help.’

Deputy Helyar believed his P&R colleague Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq’s ability to speak fluent French would have been an asset in the negotiations Guernsey has had with French fishermen.

‘It makes a difference to the dynamic of any talks.’