GUNBOATS ARRIVE AS TENSIONS SOAR OVER BREXIT FISHING RIGHTS
▶ French fishermen threaten to blockade Jersey, but UK’s Johnson pledges support for island
British and French naval vessels patrolled the waters around the Channel Island of Jersey on Thursday after about 50 French boats sailed into the main port to form a protest flotilla in a dispute over post-Brexit fishing rights.
By mid-afternoon, the fishing boats moved away from the harbour.
Jersey is a British Crown dependency. The rocky island is 22 kilometres off the northern French coast and 140km south of Britain’s shores.
The UK sent two Royal Navy patrol boats after France suggested it could cut power supplies there if its fishermen were not given full access to fishing waters under post-Brexit trading terms.
Some of the fishing crews set off flares while HMS Severn and HMS Tamar kept watch near by.
Footage was released that appeared to show a French trawler ramming a British vessel.
The French navy sent two patrol vessels to the area on Thursday morning. A European Commission spokeswoman called for calm but said the UK failed to provide sufficient notice for new arrangements to be assessed.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Jersey’s government after the island attempted to introduce a licensing system that reflected the switch to post-Brexit controls over its territorial waters.
“The prime minister reiterated his unequivocal support for Jersey and confirmed that the two Royal Navy offshore patrol vessels would remain in place to monitor the situation as a precautionary measure,” his Downing Street office said.
“They agreed to stay in touch as the situation develops.”
Jersey issued new rules that require the installation of monitoring equipment to obtain licences that preserve EU fishing rights after Brexit.
A representative for the Normandy regional fishing committee, which helped to organise Thursday’s protest, said the group did not want to impede access to Jersey ports.
“The objective is to express our unhappiness about the restrictive measures that were imposed,” Hugo Lehuby said.
“This is not a blockade. It’s not our objective to smash stuff up.”
French Maritime Minister Annick Girardin said she was “disgusted” to learn that Jersey issued 41 licences with unilaterally imposed conditions, including the time French fishing vessels could spend in the island’s waters.
“In the deal there are retaliatory measures. Well, we’re ready to use them,” Ms Girardin told France’s National Assembly on Tuesday.
“Regarding Jersey, I remind you of the delivery of electricity along underwater cables ... even if it would be regrettable if we had to do it, we’ll do it if we have to.”
Jersey, which has a population of 108,000, imports 95 per cent of its power from France, according to energy news agency S&P Global Platts.
Jersey’s government said France and the EU expressed their unhappiness with the conditions placed on fishing licences.
The island’s External Relations Minister, Ian Gorst, said the island issued permits in accordance with post-Brexit trade terms.
Mr Gorst said they stipulated that any new licence must show how much time a vessel spent in Jersey’s waters before Brexit.
“We are entering a new era and it takes time for all to adjust. Jersey has consistently shown its commitment to finding a smooth transition to the new regime,” he said.
The French threat was the latest row over fishing rights between the two countries.
Last month, vessel operators in France, angered by licence delays, set up barricades to block lorries carrying UK-landed fish as they arrived in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Europe’s largest seafood-processing centre.
The French Maritime Minister was “disgusted” to learn Jersey issued licences with unilaterally imposed conditions