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Twenty-three percent of Jersey's territorial waters will receive far-reaching protections from destructive fishing practices after States members unanimously approved the island's first Marine Spatial Plan in a landmark vote yesterday.
The plan, which passed with 40 votes in favour and no votes against, sets out how the Jersey's ‘marine estate’ should be managed in future and aims to balance marine conservation with the interests of the fishing industry.
While the Assembly supported the main proposition put forward by the Environment Minister and also approved an amendment for a robust monitoring framework and timeline to better track the implementation of the plan, it rejected multiple attempts to expand protected zones.
Pictured: The draft Marine Spatial Plan was published earlier this year, with the final version approved yesterday.
The approved plan will increase marine protected areas from 6% to 23% of Jersey's waters – meaning that boats that dredge and trawl will be banned from operating within these zones.
It will also establish a three-tier framework of Regulated Fishing Zones, Seabed Protection Zones, and No Take Zones.
More than 150 comments from local businesses, charities, organisations and individuals, were taken into account when putting together the version of the plan that was approved yesterday.
The fishing industry's concerns also prominently in the discussions during the first day of the debate.
A letter from Jersey's Fishermen's Association was read out, and it warned that proposed amendments could increase conflicts with French fishers and force Jersey's fleet into more dangerous and distant waters.
A review of the proposals was carried out by the Environment, Housing, and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel, which led the panel to submit two amendments.
In a report published last week, the panel argued that the current iteration of the plans failed to strike the right balance between marine conversation and the needs of the fishing industry.
The report accused the Environment Minister of not going far enough to stay in line with international obligation and warned that delaying protections could result in damage to sensitive habitats like maerl beds, formed by red algae, which provide shelter for marine species and help store carbon.
Pictured: Deputy Hillary Jeune is the Chair of the the Environment, Housing, and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel.
Deputy Jeune, who is chair of the panel, criticised the sharp decline in protection for maerl beds – which she called "Jersey's equivalent to a coral reef" – under the Minister.
She said that protected areas had dropped from 88% in the original proposal to 33% in the approved plan, despite the marine spatial plan document itself reading: “The use of mobile gear presents the biggest threat to the integrity and viability of key habitats, such as maerl, sea grass and other sedimentary habitats.”
Despite these comments, the States Assembly rejected the Scrutiny Panel's first amendment to expand Marine Protected Areas around Les Écréhous, Les Anquettes and Les Minquiers — with all five parts defeated in consecutive votes.
This would have banned dredging and trawling in these offshore reefs – areas that contain significant maerl habitats – while activities such as scallop diving, line fishing, and netting would still be permitted.
Members did vote to approve the panel's second amendment, however, which called for a "robust" monitoring framework to track the plan's implementation.
This amendment aimed to ensures that current and future governments will be held accountable for the plan, and a clear timeline will be established for evaluating its impact.
Pictured: Former Environment Minister Jonathan Renouf's amendment to the plan was rejected.
The Assembly also rejected an amendment put forward by former Environment Minister Jonathan Renouf that called for all decisions on future protected areas to be made within the next two years to provide a “clear” timeline and accountability.
When presenting his amendment, the ex-minister urged faster action to prevent a "self-fulfilling prophecy" where ongoing dredging risks damaging habitats under that are being reviewed.
He also suggested that nearly £7 million would be allocated to the farming and fishing sectors could support affected fishers during transition periods.
He argued: “Sustainability is key – meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.”
Deputy Montfort Tadier, however, raised concerns about political motivations influencing environmental decisions and suggested the Environment Minister was prioritising economic development over environmental protection.
He said: "It seems we no longer have an Environment Minister; we have two Economic Development Ministers."
The debate leading up to the final vote was mostly about the need to strike a balance between environmental preservation and economic interests.
Deputy Philip Ozouf cautioned against changes that might strain relations with French fishers and called for a cooperative approach involving both French and UK experts to develop long-term strategies that would benefit both the environment and local economies.
Pictured: The fishing industry's concerns featured prominently in the discussions.
Similarly, Deputy Lyndon Farnham, warned that immediate bans on certain fishing practices could damage relationships with France and the EU.
While describing himself as a “strong proponent” of greater protections for the island’s fisheries, the Chief Minister spoke about the need for a "phased approach" to ensure sustainable practices while protecting the local fishing industry.
Deputy Farnham therefore urged members to reject the scrutiny panel’s amendments and support the phased approach proposed by the government.
"The phased approach will help us manage our fisheries, protect our local economy, and maintain our diplomatic relationships with our French neighbours," he said.
Several states members who were supportive of greater marine protection spoke passionately about the need to consider the long-term impact of decisions made today.
Deputy Louise Doublet, for example, urged her colleagues to think about the rights of future generations when voting on environmental issues.
"We are facing a critical biodiversity crisis, including in our waters…Who will speak for children?" she asked.
Deputy Karen Wilson echoed these sentiments, warning that Jersey cannot afford to prioritise short-term economic gains over the health of its marine ecosystems.
"We can't fish the last fish or cut down the last tree and expect to keep thriving," she said.
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