French fishermen “don’t send us the evidence” asked to obtain fishing licenses, explained Thursday, October 28 on franceinfo, Gregory Guida, deputy and Minister of Jersey, in charge of the environment, while Paris announced Wednesday retaliatory measures against the British who refuse to issue them . These fishing licenses are essential to navigate UK waters, which are richer in fish.
Gregory Guida accuses “many boats that have never set foot in Jersey” to request a license from the authorities of the island, and accuses France of “fuck up life” fishermen from Jersey.
franceinfo: How do you react to French threats?
Gregory Guida: It’s quite disappointing because on the one hand, you have the adults, who are in the process of putting in place one of the most important international treaties of this century, 450 billion euros of economic exchanges, of nuclear energy. , aviation, security, defense, peace in Northern Ireland. And then, on the other side, you have the kindergarten yard, “if you don’t give me all your marbles, I’ll hit you! “ It’s a bit disappointing.
Some French fishermen explain that they do not necessarily have GPS loggers, so no data to prove that they have been fishing well in British waters in recent years. Do you believe in their good faith?
This is the essence of the problem. In France, when you fish, you must provide each day a fishing sheet, on which you write the place and the date. It is a legal obligation in France, and even internationally. So all the boats have an exact record of what they’ve done. And France insists that boats, which are completely unable to provide us with these documents, obtain a license. It’s extraordinary ! It’s a bit like saying “I drove in London. I can’t show you my driving license or my vehicle registration document. But I drove in London.” There it is the same: “I fished in Jersey, completely illegally, undocumented and unreported. But you still have to give us a license.” French fishermen do not send us the evidence. Many of the boats that ask us for a license have never set foot in Jersey.
Are you ready to give more licenses if French fishermen send you these documents?
Absoutely. But don’t forget that this is something that is negotiated between Europe and the UK. So the documents leave the regions [Bretagne, Normandie, Hauts-de-France], go to Paris, then Brussels, then London before arriving in Jersey. It’s a fairly complicated pipeline. However, the rule is simple. You must have eleven days of fishing in 2017, or 2018, or 2019 [dans les eaux britanniques] to have a license. It’s not very complicated.
France says the UK has not issued half of the licenses owed to French fishermen. It’s wrong ?
It’s quite extraordinary because the UK has issued 1,829 licenses. There are still 35 for which there is no proof. And when the proof comes, those 35 will be given. So to say that 50% of the licenses are missing is not true. Our problem is the amount of effort. We fish too much, we take too much fish, it is not sustainable. So the international Brexit treaty established a basis. The effort [la quantité de poisson pêché] in 2021 must be the same as in 2019. But if you double the number of boats that can fish, the effort will double.
A cable connects you to France, and provides electricity to the inhabitants of Jersey. Paris threatens to cut back on your diet. What consequences could this have?
They wouldn’t be very important, because we have generators. We are ready. On the other hand, it is appalling to block the borders, and to prevent our fishermen from landing in French ports. I know them, they are going to go bankrupt because they will no longer be able to sell their fishing. It is serious, on the part of France, to screw up the lives of people like that, fishermen who know their French counterparts, with whom they speak every day. Fuck their lives up for unachievable political inclinations.