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FISHERMEN and fish merchants in Jersey will be taking the day off on Saturday to stage the island's annual fish festival.
Members of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association are gathering the 2,000 scallop shells required which will be combined with patterns raked in the sand where local artist Tina Ellis-Bracknell will invite local families to help her paint and create a sea sculpture.
In fact scallops have been quite an issue in Jersey recently and neighbouring Guernsey lately. Local fishermen have become concerned about trawlers from the UK mainland who have been trawling for scallops around the Channel islands.
They fear trawling by larger vessels may take away the stock they export to France. But a local Jersey politician Constable Len Norman tried to allay their fears by saying that stocks are in good shape and there should be plenty for everyone with current landings never better.
The dispute has echoes of a similar issue off the Yorkshire Coast two months ago when local shell fishermen complained about Scottish scallop trawlers damaging their lobster pots. Scallops are important to Jersey where most of the shellfish are dredged or hand dived.
However, all that will be forgotten on Saturday when the island celebrates its rich fishing heritage.Fishermen’s Association chairman Don Thompson said the art projects and other events at the festival – such as visits to tanks full of fish - were fantastic ways to engage children with the fishing industry.
The Jersey Fish Festival is a family event to be held on the Victoria Pier, the home of the Island’s commercial fishing fleet. There will be a big display of locally caught seafood and the event will end with a night time firework display.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
