Closed area · Government of Jersey
Bottom-towed gear prohibited
Sea Fisheries (Trawling, Netting and Dredging) (Jersey) Regulations 2001 · in force since 2026-09-01
A CAUGHT review has read the instrument behind this closure, rather than relying on the summary published with the boundary. Where the two differ, the instrument governs; this reading was made on 2026-09-10.
towing or using MOBILE GEAR anywhere in the seven Schedule 1A marine protected areas. "Mobile gear" is defined by regulation 1 as fishing gear for which the catch operation requires an active movement of the gear, and expressly includes towed gear, dredges, encircling gear, trawls, seines and draw nets. Passive/static gear (creels, gillnets, entangling and trammel nets) is NOT within regulation 3(1) and is not prohibited by this measure.
Regulation 3(1) of the Sea Fisheries (Trawling, Netting and Dredging) (Jersey) Regulations 2001 prohibits towing or using MOBILE GEAR in the seven Schedule 1A marine protected areas, in force in its present form since 1 September 2026. The prohibition is absolute: the Regulations attach no exemption, permit or derogation to it. “Mobile gear” is defined by active movement of the gear rather than by contact with the seabed, so it reaches trawls, seines, dredges, draw nets and encircling gear alike; passive gear (creels, gillnets, trammel nets) is outside regulation 3(1) and is not prohibited here. The boundaries shown here match the Schedule’s own coordinates on all seven areas.
It is prohibited to tow or use mobile gear within this area of the sea.
Summary as published in the source dataset, shown for comparison. A dataset paraphrase can be narrower or wider than the instrument it summarises, and finding out which is the work above.
Vessels are named only on cases that read CAUGHT and have been examined by a reviewer. Every other case is linked without a name: most are resolved, and naming a boat on a page about the closure would carry an accusation the assessment does not support.
What a case here means. A CAUGHT case is a reason to look, not a verdict. Each one is judged on three independent factors — was it fishing, here and then; what gear does the vessel actually use; and what was prohibited there at that time — and the weakest of the three decides. Most cases are resolved.
Boundaries and rule summaries come from the published datasets named at the foot of this page and can contain errors; the legislation is the authority. If you believe this closure is described wrongly, tell us at contact@caught.org.uk.
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