Jersey and UK registered vessels
To fish commercially in the Jersey Territorial Sea, Jersey and UK registered vessels must hold a Jersey Fishing Boat licence issued by the Department of the Environment.
To operate a charter fishing vessel in the Jersey Territorial Sea, a Jersey Fishing Boat Licence is required.
The Jersey Fishing Boat licensing system is part of the British licensing system and operates under the reciprocal licensing arrangements of the Jersey / UK Fisheries Management Agreement.
In addition, to the Jersey Fishing Boat licence, owners and masters of Jersey registered fishing boats are required to hold:
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the necessary safety training certification required by the Ports of Jersey
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business and staffing licences from the Population office
Commercial fishing (Ports of Jersey website)
Population office
States of Jersey Fisheries and Marine Resources Facebook page
Applying for a Jersey Fishing Boat Licence (UK vessels)
To apply, the vessel must:
be registered as a British Sea Fishing Boat
hold a valid Certificate of Registry issued by the relevant authority, ie the Jersey Ships Registry for J registered vessels or the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for UK registered vessels
Fishing licence entitlements
The vessel owner also needs to obtain suitable fishing licence entitlement(s) of sufficient engine power and tonnage to licence the vessel for the intended fishing activity.
Licence entitlements can be purchased on the open market anywhere in the UK. If you are considering purchasing a licence entitlement you are strongly advised to contact the Department before entering into any financial commitment, to ensure validity and that the entitlement(s) meet your needs.
The Department can assist in completion of the forms to transfer licence entitlements.
UK licence application
Once the vessel is registered and the licence entitlement(s) transferred into the owner's name, a UK licence application can be made to the Marine Management Organisation's Plymouth office. Officers from this Department can assist with the application process.
When the UK licence is received an application can be made for an additional 'piggy back' Jersey Fishing Boat licence which authorises commercial fishing in the Jersey Territorial Sea.
Jersey Fishing Boat Licence application form for Jersey and British registered vessels
Vessel licensing (Marine Management Organisation website)
Licence conditions for Jersey and UK registered vessels
It is the responsibility of licence holders and skippers to ensure they are complying with their licence conditions.
Schedule 1: under and over 10 metre Jersey fishing boat licences
Schedule 2: 10 metre and under Jersey fishing boat licences
Schedule 2: over 10 metre Jersey fishing boat licences
Logbooks for UK vessels
All licence holders have to complete fishing logbooks.
Under 10m vessels
Licence holders must submit quarterly catch returns using either their official Under 10m paper or online logbook. If you wish to use the online logbook contact the department where you will be given guidance and a pin number.
Online logbook
Schedule 3: under 10 metre logbook - procedures for completion
Under 10 metre online logbook instructions
10m - 12m vessels
Masters are required to complete a European Community fishing paper logbook. Log sheets must be submitted to the Department within 48 hours of landing.
Over 12m vessels
Masters should ensure that the relevant logbook is completed in accordance with the law.
Sea Fisheries (Jersey Law website)
Quotas for UK vessels
Jersey and Jersey/ British registered licenced vessels are required to fish to quotas applicable to Jersey/ British registered vessels fishing in sea area VIIE (Western English Channel). These quotas are published in the equivalent UK fishing licence annexe. The most common quota species caught in Jersey waters include:
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sole
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plaice
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mackerel
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pollock
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skate and ray
It is the responsibility of both the licence holder and skipper to check the available quota.
Under 10m vessels quota limitations (gov.uk website)
Over 10m vessels quota limitations (gov.uk website)
Instructions for looking up quota
EU registered vessels
Marine Resources French speaking helpline is +44 1534 448206.
A list of all Jersey licensed EU vessels is published on the UK Single Issuing Authority website.
A number of additional EU vessels are listed separately and authorised to conduct fishing activities in Jersey waters until 31 January 2022. These vessels are authorised via the UK Single Issuing Authority.
Licence conditions applicable to Jersey Fishing Licence for EU Vessels
It is the responsibility of licence holders and skippers to ensure they are complying with their licence conditions.
Schedule 1: Jersey fishing licences – EU Vessel
Schedule 2: Jersey fishing licence conditions (English version) – EU Vessels
Schedule 2: Jersey fishing licence conditions (French version) - EU Vessels
Logbooks for EU vessels
EU Vessels holding a licence to fish in the territorial sea of Jersey must declare details of fishing effort and catches in Jersey waters within 48 hours of landing. The EU Vessel PDF log sheet below must be completed as per the instructions in Schedule 3 of the Jersey Fishing Licence – EU Vessels and submitted by email to
fisheries@gov.je within 48 hours of landing.
Schedule 3: Logbook Instructions - Jersey fishing licence – EU Vessels
EU vessel logbook template
gov.je