Jersey fishing challenge ‘too late’, court is told

Friday 13th February 2004, 12:00AM GMT.

JERSEY fishermen should have acted sooner to mount a legal challenge, Guernsey’s Royal Court was told yesterday.

Moves were made to deny the Jersey Fishermen’s Association the right to challenge the legality of a decision to block them from fishing in Bailiwick of Guernsey waters.Crown Advocate Richard McMahon, acting on behalf of the Guernsey States and Sea Fisheries Committee, submitted that the association, which represents 95% of Jersey fishermen, could and should have mounted a legal challenge earlier.

To leave it until 1 October, after the introduction of Guernsey’s new licensing scheme, was ‘too late’, he said.He suggested that the Jersey fishermen were in ‘a bad position’ because of the JFA’s delays in taking legal advice and that UK lawyers representing English companies affected by the ban had ‘slept on their rights’.

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