Fishing within the Bailiwick of Guernsey is common place. The bailiwick is made up of several islands in the Channel Islands, namely (Herm, Sark, Alderney and Guernsey).
Guernsey's territorial waters limit is 3 miles. For commercial fishing the bailiwick has a Fisheries Management Agreement enabling the licence and management of commercial fishing up to 12 nautical miles. [1]
Fishing in Guernsey offers a large range of species available to catch which will involve many different styles of fishing to adopt and learn to become successful.
Most common fish caught off the bailiwick shores are:
Many more fish are in abundance around the shores.
Fish | Guernsey record (lb-oz-dr) | Year | Location | British record (lb-oz-dr) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anglerfish | 38-0-0 | 05-Jul-1974 | The sea | 1967 - 68-2-0 |
Bass | 18-6-5 | 23-Oct-1999 | The sea | 2012 - 19-12-0 [2] |
Boops boops | 1-15-4 | 1978 | The sea | Same as Guernsey record [3] |
Bream, black | 6-8-6 | 31-Oct-2001 | Creux Harbour, Sark | Same as Guernsey record [2] [3] |
Bream, Couchs sea | 3-4-7 | 2008 | The sea | Same as Guernsey record [3] |
Bream, gilthead | 8-2-2 | 04-Sep-1983 | The sea | 1995 - 10-5-8 |
Bream, red | 4-7-0 | 19-Sep-1979 | Alderney Lighthouse | Same as Guernsey record [3] |
Brill | 7-7-8 | 07-Nov-1980 | The sea | 2018 - 8-3-0 [2] |
Cod | 29-0-0 | 28-Dec-1981 | Lancresse Bay | 1966 - 44-8-0 |
Conger | 108-0-0 | 19-Aug-1991 | West of Guernsey | 1995 - 133-0-0 |
Dab | 1-9-1 | 09-Aug-1981 | Fort Doyle | 1936 - 2-9-8 [2] |
Dogfish, lesser spotted | 2-13-11 | 01-Oct-2004 | St Peter Port Breakwater | 1988 - 4-15-3 |
Eel, common | 3-15-4 | 11-Sep-1987 | Albert Pier | 1978 - 11-2-0 |
Flounder | 5-6-13 | 23-Dec-1998 | St Peter Port Breakwater | 1994 - 5-7-0 [2] |
Garfish | 2-11-11 | 01-Dec-2002 | Crown Pier | 2017 - 3-9-8 [2] |
Gurnard, red | 2-4-6 | 06-Aug-2000 | L'Ancresse | 1976 - 2-10-11 [2] |
Gurnard, tub | 5-9-1 | 26-Jun-2005 | Chouet | 1976 - 12-3-0 [2] |
John Dory | 3-3-4 | 18-Aug-1967 | St Peter Port | vacant [4] |
Mackerel | 2-13-0 | 03-Aug-1977 | White Rock | 1982 - 5-11-14 [2] |
Mullet, golden grey | 3-0-4 | 11-Oct-1991 | Cats Bay, Alderney | 2005 - 3-8-8 [2] |
Mullet, red | 3-15-0 | 01-Oct-1996 | Longy, Alderney | Same as Guernsey record [2] [3] |
Mullet, thick lipped | 11-14-6 | 24-Mar-1985 | Longy, Alderney | 1979 - 14-2-12 |
Mullet, thin lipped | 2-3-3 | 13-Oct-2002 | QEII Marina | 1991 - 7-0-0 |
Plaice | 8-3-4 | 08-Dec-1985 | Bordeaux | 1989 - 8-6-14 [2] |
Pollack | 16-1-6 | 21-Dec-1998 | Alderney Lighthouse | 1986 - 18-4-0 [2] |
Pouting | 4-9-0 | 07-Jul-1991 | Pembroke | Same as Guernsey record [2] [3] |
Ray, blonde | 32-8-0 | 07-Dec-1986 | Mannez, Alderney | Same as Guernsey record [2] [3] |
Ray, marbled electric | 12-5-14 | 27-Oct-1995 | Alderney Breakwater | 1990 - 13-15-11 |
Ray, small eyed | 14-7-10 | 04-Dec-1993 | Corblets, Alderney | 1991 - 15-0-8 |
Ray, spotted | 4-11-8 | 04-Jul-1982 | Herm Island | 1980 - 8-5-0 |
Ray, undulate | 19-0-12 | 05-Dec-1996 | Alderney, South Coast | 1983 - 21-4-0 |
Rockling, shore | 1-0-5 [5] | Jun-2013 | 1992 - 1-9-12 | |
Rockling, three bearded | 2-11-4 [5] | 2014 | 2001 - 3-12-14 [2] | |
Salmon, coho | 1-8-1 | 21-Jun-1977 | Petit Port | Same as Guernsey record [3] |
Sea trout | 4-11-2 | 17-Apr-1999 | Salerie | 1992 - 28-5-4 |
Shad, twaite | 1-10-8 | 06-Dec-1994 | Belgrave Bay | 1978 - 2-12-0 |
Smooth hound | 6-5-2 | 29-Jan-2005 | St Peter Port Breakwater | 2000 - 20-3-0 |
Smooth hound, starry | 14-9-2 | 02-Feb-2006 | Alderney Breakwater | 1972 - 23-2-0 |
Sole, common | 6-8-10 | 13-Sep-1991 | Alderney South Coast | Same as Guernsey record [3] |
Tadpole fish | 0-15-8 | 01-Jun-1995 | St Peter Port Breakwater | 1990 - 1-5-12 |
Triggerfish | 3-10-12 | 22-Aug-2004 | Hog's Back, Sark | 1995 - 5-14-8 |
Turbot | 22-3-0 | 25-Aug-1968 | St Sampsons Breakwater | 1973 - 28-8-0 |
Whiting | 2-3-12 | 25-Jan-1992 | St Peter Port Breakwater | 1984 - 4-0-7 |
Wrasse, ballan | 8-10-13 | 27-Mar-1993 | St Peter Port Breakwater | 1998 - 9-1-0 |
Wrasse, cuckoo | 1-12-9 | 17-Oct-1999 | Rosaire, Herm | Same as Guernsey record [2] [3] |
Mini species | Guernsey record (lb-oz-dr) | Year | Location | British record (lb-oz-dr) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bream, axillary | 0-8-5 | 1995 | Guernsey wreck | Same as Guernsey record [4] |
Goby, giant | 0-9-4 | 1994 | Beaucette Marina, Vale | Same as Guernsey record [4] |
Smelt, sand | 0-2-9 | 1975 | New Jetty, St Peter Port | Same as Guernsey record [4] |
Topknot, common | 0-13-8 | 1998 | Grande Rocques | Same as Guernsey record [4] |
Caught record fish locations
Guernsey
St Peter Port Breakwater - Location of eight bailiwick records (angler fish, Couch's sea bream, lesser spotted dogfish, flounder, smooth hound, tadpole fish, whiting and ballan wrasse). As the records show, the St Peter Port breakwater is good fishing for many species. Located just passed Castle Cornet in the town of St Peter Port. The breakwater is a light house on the end of a pier. It offers easy access and safe fishing although it can be very busy due its advantages.
Pembroke - L'Ancresse - Chouet All three locations are in very close proximity to each other and boast five bailiwick records (bass, cod, red gurnard, tub gurnard and pouting). Located on the north west coast of Guernsey, The Lancresse area offers sandy beaches with easy access for rock or beach fishing.
White Rock - QEII Marina - Albert Pier - Crown Pier - Salerie (The White Rock no longer exists due to land reclamation.) These sites held four records (eel common, sea trout, garfish, mackrel and thin lipped mullet). All four locations are situated in St Peter Port town. They are the piers and that separate the three marina's, Albert, Crown and QEII, all four of which are also car park areas.
Alderney Breakwater Location of three bailiwick records (starry smooth hound, three bearded rockling, marbled electric ray).
The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, consisting of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm and some smaller islands. Historically, they are the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy. Although they are not part of the United Kingdom, the UK is responsible for the defence and international relations of the islands as it is for the other Crown Dependency, the Isle of Man, and the British Overseas Territories. The Crown Dependencies are neither members of the Commonwealth of Nations, nor part of the European Union. They have a total population of about 171,916, and the bailiwicks' capitals, Saint Helier and Saint Peter Port, have populations of 33,500 and 18,207 respectively.
Guernsey is the second largest island in the Channel Islands, located 27 miles (43 km) west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited islands and many small islets and rocks. The Bailiwick has a population of 63,950, the vast majority of whom live on Guernsey, and the island has a land area of 24 square miles (62 km2).
Alderney is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is 3 miles (5 km) long and 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) wide.
Saint Peter Port Harbour is located in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey. It was a natural anchorage used by the Romans which has been changed into an artificial harbour that is now the island's main port for passengers. Loose cargo, liquids and gas are shipped to and from St Sampson's harbour.
Braye Harbour is the main harbour on the north side of the island of Alderney, in the Channel Islands, a dependency of the British Crown. A 3,000 feet (910 m) breakwater was built by the Admiralty to protect the Navy in the 19th century shelters Braye Harbour. The harbour faces out onto the Swinge, which is part of the English Channel, and it is at Braye that most of the island's freight comes in. Braye is more or less a suburb of St Anne, the island capital; the centre of St Anne lies approximately 1 mile from the harbour.
The States of Guernsey, officially the States of Deliberation and sometimes referred to as the Government of Guernsey, is the parliament and government of the British Crown dependency of Guernsey. Some laws and ordinances approved by the States of Guernsey also apply to Alderney and Sark as "Bailiwick-wide legislation" with the consent of the governments of those islands. All enactments of the States of Guernsey apply to Herm as well as Guernsey, since Herm is directly administered by the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
Notolabrus fucicola, the banded parrotfish, blue wrasse, kelpie, New Zealand banded wrasse, purple parrotfish, saddled wrasse, Southern purple wrasse, Southern wrasse, winter bream or yellow-saddled wrasse, is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Indian Ocean, off eastern Australia and all around New Zealand on rocky, weedy reef areas. Aging work in New Zealand suggested these wrasses can live at least 35 years.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Guernsey:
Porgy is the common name in Australia for any fish which belongs to the family Sparidae. They are also called bream. Porgies live in shallow temperate marine waters and are bottom-dwelling carnivores. Most species possess grinding, molar-like teeth. They are often good eating fish, particularly the gilt-head bream and the dentex.
Fishing in Israel is a branch of the Israeli economy with historical significance. The three main natural fishing zones are the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Kinneret. A fourth area that was once historically significant, Lake Hula, no longer exists, as it was drained in the 1950s. In addition, aquaculture the growth of fish in ponds or in cages, is rising in prominence.
The Port of Póvoa de Varzim is a seaport built in Enseada da Póvoa Bay in the city of Póvoa de Varzim in Portugal. During the Middle Ages, it was known as Port of Varzim.
A lampara net is a type of fishing net. It is a surrounding net having the shape of a spoon or a dustpan with a short leadline under a longer floatline. The net has a central bunt to contain the fish and two lateral wings.
The Channel Islands are a group of islands off the coast of France. The largest island is Jersey, followed by Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and a number of smaller islands, islets and rocky outcrops. The islands were separated from mainland Europe with rising sea levels in the Neolithic period; thereafter maritime activity commenced.
Cardiocephaloides longicollis is a species of flukes. The life cycle of C. longicollis is asexual as well as complex. Its asexual stage resides in the body of whelks where it replicates many times, and eventually its eggs are dispersed in the water through feces. C.longicollis begin their early life as free swimming miracidia larvae in the water. They go on to infect snails, and a variety of fishes, usually second intermediate host, in the form of a cercariae. While C.longicollis has previously been recorded in 19 fish species, researchers have found 12 other species which are viable hosts for C.longicollis making for a grand total of 31 aquatic species. The final host for this parasite are the gulls that eat the infected fish in which the parasite has formed cysts in.
Kingmere Marine Conservation Zone is in the English Channel, between 3 miles (5 km) and 6 miles (10 km) off the West Sussex coast to the south of Littlehampton and Worthing. It covers an area of around 47 square kilometres (18 sq mi).
The blue-throated wrasse, also known as the bluehead, bluehead parrotfish, bluenose, bluenose parrotfish, bluethroat parrotfish, blue-throat wrasse, kelpie, lilac banded parrotfish, rocky bream, rocky cod, rotfish or winter bream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish from the family Labridae, the wrasses. It is found in the Indian and Pacific Ocean off the south-eastern coasts of Australia.
In 2021, a dispute erupted between French fishermen and the Government of Jersey about the licensing of French fishing boats to fish in Jersey's territorial waters. Jersey is a British Crown Dependency, and despite not being part of the United Kingdom, the licensing of European Union fishing boats to fish in Jersey's territorial waters has changed after the UK exit from the EU. On 6 May 2021, French fishermen held a protest in the waters off Jersey's main harbour. The UK is responsible for the defence of the Channel Islands and sent two patrol boats to Jersey in response to the fishermen's threats to blockade it. French politicians suggested that Jersey's electricity supply fed by undersea cables from France could be cut off in retaliation for Jersey placing limitations on the extent to which French boats can fish in the island's waters.
A third of fishing in Turkey is commercial fishing from wild fisheries but most is aquaculture. In 2018, the seafood sector provided employment to 52,937 people and produced 0.6 million tons of fish. According to the OECD, this produced a value of USD 1,481 million.