25 April 2022
Fishing will no longer be permitted in Portelet Bay, after States Members voted to create Jersey's first No Take Zone.
The Zone will give marine life in the area better protection and enable researchers to use the area as a natural lab. The new regulations, which come into effect seven days from now, mean it will become an offence to remove any marine species from the zone, or to use a fishing boat in it. Exceptions will be made for some scientific investigations.
The No Take Zone will be monitored for an initial five-year period to assess its benefits to fisheries and biodiversity.
Assistant Minister for the Environment, Deputy Gregory Guida, said: "By designating this Zone at Portelet, the Government and other key stakeholders will be able to use the Bay for scientific research, which will give us further evidence to help maintain fish stocks and ensure sustainable fisheries.
"In recent years, the marine biology section of the Société Jersiaise has championed the idea of putting in place a space for the study of unimpacted marine ecosystems, to monitor the recovery of species no longer subject to fishing pressures. The prospect of a No Take Zone was also considered and approved by the Marine Resources Panel, which includes commercial and recreational fishing representatives.
"Moving forward, any fishing or taking of marine animals or seaweed will be an offence and we'll certainly be policing this to ensure the project is a success. I would like to thank States members for their support of this move."
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