Fishing licences (FOI)

Produced by the Freedom of Information office
Authored by Government of Jersey and published on 02 February 2022.
Prepared internally, no external costs.

Request

 A

Can you supply a list of the names of French fishing boats with licences to fish in Jersey waters, and the date of expiry of that licence?

B

How much was paid for the licence?

C

Does the licence charge made comply and cover the user pays policy of the States of Jersey?

D

What is the average paid, per boat registered in Jersey, in annual fishing licences to the Government?

E

Is a contribution made by the French fishing fleet, the French Government or the EU to the provision of fisheries protection, stock management, marine weather forecasts supplied by Jersey or Island based fisheries research, and what is the total annual budget for these services?

Response

A

The information you have requested is exempt under Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 because the information is already accessible to you on www.gov.uk.

United Kingdom Single Issuing Authority (UKSIA) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

B

There is a one-off charge of £109.30 (2021 figure) to cover the basic administration costs when issuing a licence to a Jersey fishing vessel.  The Minister for the Environment has agreed to defer this administration fee for French vessels until further notice.

Further information can be found in the on www.gov.je within a previous Freedom of Information response.

 Payment for fishing licences (FOI)

C

User pays is not a Government Policy, rather it is a pricing approach that allows the Government to request a reasonable fee to cover the basic cost of the services they provide.

D

A Jersey fishing licence needs to be renewed every two years but there is no annual fishing licence fee or further admin fee.

Further information can be found using the link located in the response to question 2.
 E

No direct monetary contribution is made by French fishers towards enforcement, protection, management, research, weather forecasts, etcetera. 
However, Jersey and France, at regional and government level, cooperate on a range of scientific and other projects which includes stock assessment, ecolabelling and other research work.   
This is achieved primarily through working groups, data sharing and specific projects.  Further information can be found on the latest Marine Resources Annual Report which can be accessed using the following link.

Marine Resources Annual Report 2019 (government and administration section)

Prior to the Covid pandemic, the Government of Jersey and French authorities operated an exchange programme which included joint patrol work.

Marine Resource's annual budget for 2021 was £573,400.

Article applied

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

 (2)A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.