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Limited tuna fishing in Jersey waters this summer

Five charter fishing licences will be issued in Jersey this summer for catching, but not landing, Atlantic Tuna.

That will be on a very strict 'catch and release' basis, with the fish being immediately returned to the water.

Environment Minister Steve Luce told the States Assembly that he has further aims regarding the currently protected species.

"My intention is to establish a 'catch and release' charter fishery for this 2025 summer season that will run from August to October, if all the signatories can be put in place.  That will follow the principles of the UK and the Jersey rules of charter vessels. 

"This would be for a maximum of five commercial operations and would run under a strict scientific exemption to the Wildlife Law.

"Now we know that there are many hundreds, if not thousands of these fish swimming around in our waters, it would be my intention next year to remove the species from the Wildlife Law and to manage it specifically with other fish under the Fisheries Regulations in the future.

"And I hope that, sometime in the future, we may be granted a small quota that would allow us to land a very small number of very high grade fish for consumption in the local market - knowing that tuna is a very popular fish and bought in great quantities in the supermarkets.

Deputy Luce said the charter licenses will only be issued to vessels that have the facilities to land tuna quickly, without a long fight, to ensure they are returned to the wild unharmed.

Two vessels have already shown an interest in applying for the permission.

The minister told the States that these changes follow four years of work by Marine Resources with the University of Exeter and the UK government's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

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