Commercial fisheries in Jersey are vital to the island’s economy and daily life, while French fisheries also utilize Jersey’s waters. Currently, 6.5% of Jersey’s territorial waters are protected from mobile fishing gear, but the Blue Marine Foundation and others advocate for expanding this protected zone to around 900km², potentially creating a Marine Park. This would ban mobile fishing gear, though it may be revised to exclude demersal gear. To support such measures, an evidence base is needed to assess the economic impacts on fishing businesses versus the benefits of habitat protection. This project, contracted to MacAlister Elliott and Partners (MEP), will assess opportunities and constraints of a ‘low-impact’ fisheries model, focusing on static gear fisheries. Jersey’s fishery, largely composed of static gear vessels, offers a promising foundation for this approach. Additionally, with the end of the Bay of Granville Agreement following Brexit, there are new opportunities for managing local fisheries.
Coastal Comeback: Overcoming Policy Challenges to Marine Restoration at Scale
Restoration policy is limiting marine restoration. This report, shows how these constraints affect delivery, and presents sector wide evidence that the current system does not operate proportionately for restoration projects. It then outlines a structured and legally grounded programme of reforms aimed at supporting ecological recovery, improving consistency and efficiency, and enabling restoration.
03 July 2026