Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Catch and Release Recreational Fishery (BFT CRRF) permit

​​​​​​​​​About recreational Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fishing permits

The Government of Jersey has approved of new regulations to allow careful and controlled sustainable recreational fishing for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (BFT) in our Island’s waters. 

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna have made a strong return, following international conservation. Once endangered, they were reclassified as “least concern” in 2021 after years of effective management across the Atlantic.

They have now returned to the waters around the Channel Islands. Jersey has taken a responsible, measured approach to their management. Over recent years, the Island applied the precautionary principle, protecting ABT under the Wildlife Law while scientific evidence on stock health continued to grow. 

As the stock is now recovered and sustainably managed, and with Jersey formally included in the UK’s membership of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), we can now participate.

Apply for a BFT CRRF permit

Permit eligibility

To be able to apply for a BFT CRRF permit you must meet the following criteria:

• your vessel must:
  
• not be less than 5 metre in overall length
• be powered by an engine or motor
• you must not have more than 1 BFT permit for the same vessel or for multiple vessels, in a single season
  
• successful applicants can’t:
  
• hold a BFT Catch and Release Recreational Fishery (CRRF) permit issued by another UK fisheries administration for the same vessel, or
• hold a permit for the 2026 UK commercial or charter BFT fishery for the same vessel
• you’ll be required to complete training before a permit is issued
• only apply if you plan to use the permit. Permits will be monitored, and failure to use the permit or report all activity to Marine Resources may result in the permit being revoked and future BFT applications being refused
• submit your completed application before 11.59pm on Monday 19 April 2026

The Minister for the Environment, as set out in the legislation, can take the follow action with permits:

• vary
• suspend
• revoke
  

Mandatory training

Before your permit is issued, you’ll need to complete Angling Trust accredited online and in person Bluefin tuna CRRF training.

CRRF applications will be screened first. Training will begin once conditional permit offer notifications have been issued.

No other training will be accepted.

All training is included in the permit cost of £500, and must be paid on completion of the training.

Mandatory Angling Trust Bluefin Tuna CRRF training includes an online training syllabus, with a test to ensure the materials have been understood. Some of the key modules are: 

• Fish Welfare and Best-Practice Handling
• Bycatch Mitigation & Reducing Marine Disturbance
• At-Sea Etiquette & Angler Safety
• It takes approximately 1 hour to complete.

If you pass the test, you’ll receive a certificate. This lets you progress towards the in-person training. It will be a one-day event, held by the Angling Trust accredited trainers in St Helier. 

If you have successfully completed both sets of Angling Trust Bluefin Tuna CRRF training you will receive your certificates. This allows Marine Resources to issue your permit.

You cannot fish until:

• you have received your permit
• the official fishing season has started

Code of conduct

Throughout the season, all participants are required to follow the code of conduct. It sets out best practice and expectations relating to catch and release of BFT.

The training will provide all permits holders with the skills and knowledge to comply with the Code of Conduct. 

The Code of Conduct and associated training materials have been produced collaboratively by:

• the Angling Trust
  
• the Professional Boatman’s Association
• the Centre of Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and Natural England, with support from Defra and MMO

The 2026 Code of Conduct will be available when published.

Permit terms and conditions 

Find below a list of terms and conditions of the permit:

• the BFT CRRF permit allows for the named vessel to be used to ‘catch and release’ BFT
• by rod and line only
• for the defined period
• catch and release BFT fishing must be in Jersey territorial waters only
• the vessel owner and master or skipper, if different, are both liable for ensuring that legislative and permit requirements are followed
• the regulation sets out how any caught BFT should be treated. BFT must not be:
• harmed
  
• removed from the sea
• brought aboard a vessel
• transferred to any other vessel
• landed
• the vessel owner must ensure that all their BFT catch and release trips have been reported to Marine Resources using the Catch Jersey app. This must happen regardless of whether a BFT was caught or not
• failure to follow to the code of conduct guidelines, the training provided or the conditions set out within your permit can result in the removal of the permit

Mandatory reporting using the Jersey Catch App

The vessel owner and skipper are legally bound by permit conditions set by Marine Resources.

Permit conditions state that all BFT catch and rel​ease fishing trips carried out in Jersey waters must be reported to Marine Resources via the Catch Jersey mobile application,  within 24 hours of the vessel returning. This is regardless of whether any BFT were caught or not.

If something stops you from reporting within 24 hours, you must still submit the records. For support email marineresources​@gov.je.

Instructions on how to report your BFT information will be given to you if you application has been successful. It’s set out in the training and included within the permit.

The following information must be reported:

• date of fishing trip
• the ICES statistical rectangle of trip activity. You’ll be given instructions about how to identify an ICES rectangle
• the number of BFT that were caught on the permitted fishing trip
• the length of each BFT caught
• the gear used on each BFT caught 
• the fight time, recovery period provided and status of BFT upon release
• incidental bycatch events

The information generated from mandatory trip reports will be shared with the Marine Management Organisation and used to produce anonymised in season and end of season official statistics. It is published on Bluefin Tuna Ca​tch and Release Recreational Fishery (CRRF) on GOV UK.

Changes in circumstances

Contact us if your circumstances change at any time after you’ve received your BFT CRRF permit and you can no longer use it. We will look to re-use the permit.

The permit can’t be transferred to a different owner or another person.

Permits can only be transferred to a different vessel under exceptional circumstances. An example of this is boat engine failure. Any transfer of permit must be agreed and approved by Marine Resources.

Key dates

Key dates for the English 2026 BFT CRRF.​​

Contact us

If you have any questions, email the team at marineresources​@gov.je.