British Isle of Jersey increases protected waters by 15% to safeguard marine life
Jersey: The self-governing British Isle of Jersey has announced a major expansion of its marine protections, increasing its percentage of protected waters by 15%.
As of September 1st, 21.7% of Jersey’s seas are now protected from trawling and other damaging fishing practices. The new regulations target some of the most valuable and vulnerable habitats surrounding the Channel Island.
Jersey, a semi-autonomous Bailiwick and one of three Crown Dependencies with Norman-British heritage, administers its own environmental laws, often in consultation with both French and British officials given its position in the English Channel.
Jersey’s Minister for the Environment, Mary Le Hegarat, said the island’s seas were “one of the island’s greatest natural assets” and that “important, structurally complex zones” of ocean around the island act as feeding grounds and nurseries for both fish stocks and marine life valued for biodiversity.
The Jersey Government said it is actively working with its fishing industry to open up new fishing areas that are less sensitive to disturbance. The entire network of protected areas will continue to be managed through the Bailiwick’s Marine Spatial Plan, prepared in consultation with French authorities.
“Protecting important habitats today helps ensure Jersey’s waters remain productive and biologically rich in the future,” said Jersey’s head of marine resources, Francis Binney. “At the same time, we recognize the challenges facing the fishing industry and are committed to working with fishers to build a resilient and economically sustainable sector.”
“This is not about choosing between conservation and fishing – it is about ensuring that Jersey continues to have both healthy seas and a successful fishing industry for decades to come.”
The move is backed by global science. Observation of marine protected areas around the world consistently shows that protecting the richest marine environments tends to increase fish stocks in the surrounding exploitable seas, making them more valuable to the fishing industry than if they were left open to commercial fishing.
