fishing rights, which was a key sticking point in post-Brexit trade talks. Over the recent past, this subject of contention has prompted clashes between France and the UK, with fishermen from both countries being severely affected.
A couple of weeks ago, French trawlermen blocked lorries carrying UK-landed fish at the entrance of Europe’s largest seafood processing centre, Boulogne-sur-Mer, in response to London’s delays in issuing licenses to fish in British waters.
The post-Brexit trade agreement specifies that fishermen from the 27 member-states of the EU may keep fishing in British waters once they’ve received a licence. However, there have been delays in the process, resulting in a significant number of fishermen still waiting for their license. According to French fishermen, many of those who are awaiting license are struggling to meet London’s requirement of electric data which show they had fished in British waters since 5 years prior to the 2016 UK referendum on withdrawal from the EU.
Meanwhile, Jersey has the sole power to issue the licences permitting fishing boats to operate in its waters. However, only 41 French fishing vessels received permits from the Jersey government on Friday (30 April). Authorities in France claim that these permits were granted subject to several conditions, including restrictions on the number of days fishermen can spend in the area, and on where the ships can and cannot go.
Girardin noted that these demands, of which the French government was not notified, were “absolutely unacceptable”. “If we accept this for Jersey, it would imperil our access everywhere,” she said.
