Brexit Fish Fight Rages After U.K., France Send Navies to Jersey
(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. and French navies were drawn into the increasingly bitter dispute over post-Brexit fishing rights on Thursday.
Both sides deployed ships to keep the peace when dozens of French fishing boats mounted a protest in the waters off the British isle of Jersey.
While the day’s intense activity in the sea around the 45-square mile (116-square kilometer) island ended without major incident, the argument over access for European fishing fleets to U.K. waters continued to grow.
The deployment of vessels by two of Europe’s biggest military powers demonstrates the scale of the ongoing frictions caused by Britain’s departure from the European Union.
Negotiations over fish were one of the most contentious elements of the post-Brexit trade accord, and France has separately threatened to limit access for U.K. financial services companies into the EU if its fishing boats aren’t treated fairly.
Tensions rose earlier this week after France’s maritime minister, Annick Girardin, said that her government would shut down the undersea cables that supply Jersey with 95% of its electricity.
The row centers on the new rules governing access for foreign fishing vessels to Jersey’s fertile territorial waters. French authorities say the terms are unacceptable because access is based on new conditions imposed without discussion.
On Thursday, officials in Brussels weighed in, and accused Jersey of breaking the terms of the Brexit trade. The U.K. government denied that was the case.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Jersey’s political leaders to promise his “unequivocal support” for the island, a self-governing dependency of the British crown that relies on the U.K. for defense.
Johnson had sent two British naval patrol vessels of a type normally armed with guns to the area as a precaution on Wednesday night, amid threats of a blockade of the Jersey port of St. Hellier. On Thursday morning, dozens of French fishing vessels gathered at the entrance to the port, with two French naval ships sent to the area later.
After talks with the Jersey authorities, the French fishing crews departed.
“It was a symbolic action to show our muscle and determination,” said Jean-Luc Hall, head of the National Fishing Committee in France. But he added: “If things aren’t quickly solved, they’ll do it again.”
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