Arbitration Over Fishing Licence Decisions 'May Happen'

The External Relations Minister says France may ask the European Union to go to arbitration to challenge Jersey's decisions around licencing some French vessels and not others.

130 were issued in total. The last of them was granted in mid-December.

33 vessels given temporary licences had to stop fishing here at the end of January 2022.

Senator Ian Gorst says no evidence has come forward to give out more permits, despite many meetings with French ministers.

"We are in conversation with our UK colleagues and in due course with the EU and French about moving onto the conversations around 'extent and nature' and the conditions that will be placed on those 130 licences which have been issued.

I cannot say with any certainty, however, that the French may, in due course, seek to persuade the EU to trigger an arbitration mechanism to challenge our licencing decisions around those vessels that were not licenced. That may happen."

The French have made several threats to try and get more licences.

They've included blocking ports and raising the price of electricity supplied to Jersey via undersea cables.

'Extent and nature' conditions are set to include the type of equipment used, how many days at sea are allowed, and other measures needed to conserve Jersey fish stocks.

Enforcing those clauses were suspended while negotiations over licences were ongoing.

"My understanding from Marine Resources officials is that those vessels which currently have a Jersey licence are already complying with the conditions that they would previously have had on their French-issued Bay of Granville licence." - Senator Ian Gorst.

The Environment Minister said in December that he was 'anxious' to get to sorting the extent and nature clauses.