Hopes of ending ports' impasse - but shellfish merchant forced to shut

Friday 07 May 2021

An oyster farmer who played a central role in yesterday’s dramatic protest says he is hopeful that an official ban on Jersey boats landing their catches in France will soon be lifted - but the picture was less positive for another shellfish merchant.

Chris Le Masurier, who owns Jersey Oyster, said that he thought that both sides of the dispute had shown goodwill and the French fishermen had accepted that the cause of tension was a “communications and administrative c*ck-up”.

However, he added that it was crucial that “anti-French sentiment” voiced by the Jersey Fishermen’s Association had to stop. 

Meanwhile, the main shellfish merchant in Jersey, Aqua-Mar, has had to close its doors on the Victoria Pier to new catch, meaning that Jersey fishermen can only serve the local market for now.

In normal times, 70% of shellfish caught by Jersey boats is exported to France, the vast majority through Aqua-Mar. Since covid restricted ferry sailings and the UK left the EU, most produce this year has been shipped to Saint Malo using Mr Le Masurier’s landing craft Normandy Trader.

Pictured: The Normandy Trader brings representatives of the French fishing fleet into the Harbour for discussions with the Government.

Yesterday, the boat played a key role in the drama that unfolded just off St. Helier. Flying Jersey and French flags, the vessel joined the protest before it ferried a delegation of fishermen into the Harbour, where they met representatives of the Jersey government.

Strongly refuting allegations that he had been acting in self-interest, Mr Le Masurier said he had thought the goodwill demonstrated by both sides has left him feeling optimistic of a resolution.

“In the same way that the French want to protect their historical rights to fish in Jersey’s waters, I want our historical trade links to be maintained too,” he said. “Like most Islanders, I also want to go on daytrips to Saint Malo and Carteret and have a good relationship with our closest neighbour.

“At the moment, unfortunately, things are being soured by a few people who are not thinking about the bigger picture.

“Yesterday, I was happy to support the French fishermen and act as a mediator between the two sides. On Wednesday evening, Ports of Jersey telephoned me to ask if I would remind the fishermen to stay clear of the fuel tanker that was offloading on Thursday morning. I passed that on, and the fishermen did exactly that. 

“After the discussions in the Harbour, which I thought were positive and encouraging, I took the French delegation back to their boats and said I was calling it a day and they said they would do the same. They said I would always be welcome in France but, as it stands, there is still an official ban.

“I think the Government has shown goodwill so I hope there will be a positive outcome for us all. Equally, there seems to be French goodwill so hopefully they can pass that on to their authorities and the official ban will be lifted.

“I am less worried now than I was last Friday about the tensions and any boat doing something stupid on their own.”   

Nathalie Porritt of Aqua-Mar, however, said she continued to hear mixed reports about the situation in France. 

“This morning, I was optimistic that we would be able to land our produce soon; now, I’m not so sure. 

“I understand that there may be a Condor sailing tomorrow but I would be surprised if the company would want to carry any shellfish and it would be naïve of us to send it anyway. 

“Last night, Jason Bonhomme was prevented by fishermen in Carteret from landing his catch of cuttlefish. All the paperwork was correct and he had the authority to be there, but the local fishermen stopped him. What can you do when people take the law into their own hands and the authorities won’t act? 

Pictured: A Facebook post by fisherman Jason Bonhomme, who could not land his catch in Carteret yesterday.

“We are in no man’s land at the moment and I cannot see much light at the end of the tunnel.” 

Ms Porritt said Aqua-Mar had between six and seven tonnes of crab and lobster in its tanks, which were at full capacity. 

“We filter the water and feed them so they will be able to stay there for about a month, however their quality will reduce over time.

“We’ve paid the fishermen for them so we obviously want to ship them as soon as we can. 

“Because we can’t accept any more catch, Jersey fishermen will have to sell directly to the local market. Some boats may have to tie up and stop fishing until we start exporting again.

“When that will be is anyone’s guess.”