French fleet retains rights to British waters
BOULOGNESURMER: French trawler owner Bruno Margolle refuses to talk of victory over British fishermen, when European quotas have been cut and will soon be negotiated annually. But for now, the right to keep on fishing deep into British waters brings considerable comfort.
Talks over Britain’s postBrexit trade relationship with the European Union went down to the wire before a December 31 deadline, in part due to fishing. Fishermen like Margolle had backed France’s tough stance, even though it nearly scuppered a deal and with it their livelihoods.
‘‘It’s a relief. I’m not going to say otherwise,’’ said Margolle, who heads a fishermen’s cooperative in BoulognesurMer.
‘‘We were strung up on the guillotine, waiting.’’
For Margolle, whose trawler NicolasJeremy spends 200 days of the year chasing mackerel, whiting and squid through British waters, the big win was the right to keep fishing within the 1020km band off Britain’s coast.
‘‘It was our red line,’’ he said. Some British fishermen, despite a promise by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that Brexit would herald a ‘‘sea of opportunity’’, are talking of betrayal.
Overall, the trade deal will gradually reduce the quotas the European fleet can catch in British waters, reaching a 25% reduction in value terms after a five and ahalfyear transition period has passed.
Beyond 2026, Britain will be able to further cut quotas during annual consultations. But any disputes could allow the EU to impose tariffs on fish imports and other goods. About twothirds of UKlanded fish is exported to the continent, which may give the Europeans some leverage.
France’s National Maritime Fishing Committee said no other sector was being forced to endure annual negotiations.
A senior member of the UK’s negotiating team said the deal was actually a good agreement for the fisheries industry, allowing it to rebuild itself during the transition period.
❛ We were strung up on the guillotine,
waiting