Appointment of Jersey Fishery Officers and British Sea Fisheries Officers.

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A decision made (08/05/2007) regarding: Appointment of Jersey Fishery Officers and British Sea Fisheries Officers.

Subject:	Appointment of Jersey Fishery Officers and British Sea Fisheries Officers
Decision Reference:	MD-E-2007-0095		Exempt clause(s):	n/a
Type of Report: (oral or written)	Written		Person Giving Report (if oral):	n/a
Telephone or e-mail Meeting?	n/a		Report File ref:	6.1.1
Written report – Title	Appointment of Jersey Fishery Officers and British Sea Fisheries Officers
Written report – Author (name and job title)	Mike Smith – Senior Fisheries Inspector
Decision(s): The Minister appointed as Jersey Fishery Officers and British Sea Fisheries Officers the individuals named in the accompanying report.
Reason(s) for decision: To increase the effectiveness of the fisheries enforcement team by appointing a small number of honorary Jersey Fishery Officers. To appoint a replacement member of staff in the fisheries team as a Jersey Fishery Officer and as a British Sea Fisheries Officer.
Action required: Senior Fisheries Inspector to advise the individuals of their appointment and to issue them with identification cards.
Signature: Senator Philip Ozouf Minister for Economic Development		Date of Decision: 8 May 2007

Appointment of Jersey Fishery Officers and British Sea Fisheries Officers.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

(Public)

Purpose of the Report

Enforcement of the fisheries regulations is necessary to safeguard both Jersey’s marine environment and the local fishing industry. It is therefore necessary to have adequate Fishery Officers to conduct this enforcement.

Background

Jersey Fishery Officers may be appointed by the Minister under the Sea Fisheries (Jersey) Law 1994.

British Sea Fishery Officers may be appointed by the Minister under the Sea Fisheries Act 1968 extended to Jersey by the Sea Fisheries (Channel Islands) Order 1973.

All staff employed within the Fisheries team of the Environment Division are appointed as Jersey Fishery Officers and British Sea Fishery Officers. A number of other personnel in the Division are also appointed as Jersey Fishery Officers, as their duties may involve them in fisheries enforcement issues on an occasional basis.

A new member of staff has joined the Fisheries team, replacing a departing member of staff.

The Marine Resources Panel has recommended that the team of employed Fishery Officers be supplemented by the appointment of a small number of trained volunteers able to undertake enforcement work around the Island’s coast.

Discussion

Craig Killip has replaced Darren A’Court as a full time employee working in the Fisheries team and will be supervised until such time as he has received adequate training.

The appointment of volunteer Fishery Officers is a new concept and has the full support of the Marine Resources Panel. The need for more inspections out of hours to deter amateur fishermen from illegally selling their catch and indeed from retaining undersize fish has regularly been the subject of discussion at Panel meetings. Such inspections will be even more necessary if the proposed bag limit regulations are to have real impact. The concept is that the volunteers will conduct inspections of anglers and amateur fishermen during evenings and at weekends, gathering any evidence which will then be passed on to the Senior Fisheries Inspector for action. Full time Fishery Officers will also continue to conduct routine inspections out of normal working hours.

Several schemes were looked at and it was always recognised that any voluntary officers would need to be responsible individuals with knowledge of enforcement procedures. With that in mind the Committee of Constables was approached with a view to seeking volunteers from amongst the Honorary Police. Four volunteers have come forward and offered to work (normally in teams of two) on an Island wide basis. This means that they need to be appointed as Fishery Officers as they will be working outside of their parishes. They will receive training from the full time officers and will be engaged on voluntary contracts, having their fuel and phone expenses reimbursed.

Recommendation

It is recommended that the Minister makes the following appointments (for clarity existing appointments are also listed and new appointments are shown with an asterisk):

Jersey Fishery Officers:

Members of the Fisheries team: Honorary Volunteers:
Simon Bossy John Gallichan*

Mike Smith Raoul Gear*

Greg Morel Eddie O’Toole*

David Yettram. Trevor De La Mothe*

Craig Killip*

Mike Harrison (Occasional contract)

Full time Agricultural Inspectors:

Alan Derrien

David Egré

Alan Binet

Eddie Prouten

Sarah le Boutillier

Marc Poingdestre

States Veterinary Officer

Linda Lowseck

States Veterinary Assistant

Ashley Pinel

British Sea Fisheries Officers

Simon Bossy

Mike Smith

Greg Morel

David Yettram.

Craig Killip*

Written by:	Mike Smith – Senior Fisheries Inspector

Approved by:	Chris Newton – Director Environment

6.1.1

Ministerial Decision ref: MD-E-2007-0095

20/04/07