Tag Archives: Don Thompson
Fishing boat sinks in St Helier Harbour during second-biggest tide ever recorded in Jersey
The big spring tides appeared to have claimed another casualty yesterday… when a fishing boat sank in St Helier Harbour. Jersey Coastguard launched a recovery operation and put pollution-control measures in place to prevent oil from the vessel spreading throughout the Old Harbour. Jersey Fishermen’s Association president Don Thompson said that, although it was not clear what had caused the boat to sink, the particularly high tide could have been a contributing factor. more, >>click to read<< 10:22
Jersey fishing community ‘fearful’ over proposed marine plans
Nathalie Porritt and Gabby Mason say they fear for the future of dredging and trawling boats if proposed plans are implemented
Seven fishing boats in Jersey could be out of business “overnight” if a recommended plan is implemented, members of the fishing community say. The draft Marine Spatial Plan was published in October to recommend ways of protecting the island’s marine environment. Changes to the way the fishing industry could work were made in it, including over the use of boats with mobile gear. Deputy Jonathan Renouf said the plan could “help the fishing industry”. Members of the fishing community came together at a public drop-in session on Thursday to voice their issues. Nathalie Porritt, a fishing merchant at Aquamar Fisheries, said the proposed areas would particularly affect the scallop industry. >>click to read<< 09:49
Search for skipper and crew of sunk Jersey fishing boat called off
The search for a skipper and two crew lost when their Jersey fishing boat collided with a freight vessel in the Channel and sank has been called off after rescuers concluded there was no chance of them still being alive. A support vessel with a remotely controlled underwater craft is heading to the area to survey the spot where the boat is resting 40 metres down on the seabed to establish the best way of recovering it. The Jersey coastguard offered its sympathies to the family and friends of the skipper, Michael “Mick” Michieli and the two unnamed crew members, who are from the Philippines. >click to read< 15:10
Wreck of trawler which collided with Condor freight ship ‘located on seabed’
The wreck of the trawler involved in a collision with the Commodore Goodwill has been located on the seabed in up to 50 metres of water, according to the head of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association. The vessel went down off the west coast after colliding with the freight ship at about 5.30am. Jersey Coastguard has confirmed that the vessel has sunk. A major search and rescue operation involving more than a dozen boats and aircraft is under way for three missing fishermen. >click to read< 07:03
French and Jersey fishermen meet for first time since Harbour blockade
The meeting this month was the first since Norman and Breton fishing vessels blockaded the Harbour in May last year in a protest over post-Brexit fishing rights. Relations deteriorated to such an extent last summer that the UK sent two naval vessels to Jersey in response to the blockade and some French politicians threatened to cut off the Island’s electricity supply. The president of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association, Don Thompson, said the meetings were an important first step in improving relations with their French counterparts. ‘We invited the French fishermen and representatives to Jersey for this first meeting,’ Mr Thompson said. ‘We are working for solutions. Typical of fishermen, the meeting was very forthright. We got right to the point and did not hold back.’ >click to read< 10:20
Coronavirus: Fishermen ‘humbled’ by the support for industry in crisis, hope to continue direct to the public sales
Fishermen say they have been humbled by the public reaction and support as the market for local produce has boomed amid the coronavirus crisis. But despite a busy weekend of trade for pop-up stalls and deliveries across the Island, industry leaders have warned that it is not enough to sustain the whole 130-vessel fleet. Crews hope they can continue to sell produce direct to the public despite the Island going into lockdown yesterday morning. Fishing has been deemed an essential industry meaning crews can still continue to catch. >click to read< 09:28
The $2 million fish? Jersey fishermen calling on government to allow targeting the bluefin tuna market
Don Thompson, president of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association, said Jersey should look to Prince Edward Island, the smallest Canadian province, whose industry for commercial and charter boat tuna fishing is worth about $2 million a year. In recent years, fishermen have reported seeing an ‘abundance’ of Atlantic blue fin tuna – which are classified as endangered – around the Island in the summer months but there is a total ban on catching them for Jersey vessels. No such ban applies to French boats. French newspaper Ouest France reported that 5.4 tonnes of tuna were landed at Granville market last year. A single fish can be worth thousands of pounds. >click to read< 21:18
Fishing protest in Royal Square – Unite and Keep Fighting!
More than a hundred fishermen marched in protest yesterday to the Royal Square, where they were promised ‘political intervention’ to overhaul a historic fishing treaty to allow the Island to take back control of its territorial waters. Many clad in their oilskins and dry-suits, they said they feared for their livelihoods as an increasing number of French boats competed with Jersey vessels for depleting stocks of brown crab and lobster. Sirens and air horns sounded in the Royal Square, where Environment Minister John Young vowed that action would be taken. >click to read< 17:51
From Gloucester NMFS protest, 2009, Fishermen Unite and Keep Fighting – >click to watch<
Jersey UK: Foul weather hurts fishing industry’s peak period
Don Thompson said that although the weather was beginning to improve, fishermen would now need to spend days sorting out tangled fishing gear left in the sea during the storms. The poor weather also affected freight ships, which were unable to dock in the Island on a number of occasions, leading to a shortage of fresh food in supermarkets. Mr Thompson added: ‘I would say the guys have been able to get out about two days out of 20, some on only one [day] – it has been really severe. click here to read the story 12:56
