Jersey 'taking threats from France very seriously' says Gorst

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French fishermen have caused alarm in Jersey’s waters this week, after descending on the Channel Island’s main port in protest to the new Brexit system. The Brexit deal stipulates that, for a fisherman to acquire a licence to fish in this area, they must prove they have a history of using Jersey’s waters. The French fishing boats claim new “technical” measures have been added to the criteria which were not run past the EU first — making the new rules “null and void”.

The 60 French boats withdrew this afternoon after discussions, but promised to return, while two Royal Navy vessels are to remain in the area as a “precautionary measure”.

In a show of support for the fishing industry, Paris briefly threatened to cut off the island’s power — Jersey receives 95 percent of its electricity from France — and accused the island of acting too slowly to address the licencing issues.

French fishermen also warned they could blockade the main port of St Helier.

The spokesman for fishermen from Normandy, Hugo Lehuby, told Reuters: “We’re getting deeper into deadlock. Either this gets resolved or retaliatory measures are taken.”

However, French fishermen were extremely relieved when the Brexit deal was signed just a few months ago.

Jersey: French boats protest in St Helier port waters

Speaking in December, French fishing officials welcomed the new accord which allowed them to continue fishing in British waters after January 1 — averting a “no deal” scenario.

Olivier Lepretre, President of the Fishing Committee for the northern Hauts-de-France region, told French outlet AFP: “It’s a huge relief for fishermen — it’s a win-win deal.

“We’re going to lose some of our quotas, which is annoying but it’s not a death knell.”

His vice-president Stephane Pinto also told France 3 TV: “The biggest worry for fishermen in Hauts-de-France, as well as the entire sector, was that we would no longer have access to British waters. That is no longer the case.”

Jean-Luc Hall, head of the national CNPMEM fisheries associations pointed out that French boats take 30 to 70 percent of their haul from UK waters.

He told AFP: “Even if it isn’t perfect, it seems we’ll still be able to work — this gives us a little bit of visibility.”

Access to UK fishing waters had been a major sticking point throughout the Brexit negotiations, but both sides seemed content when an agreement reached just before Christmas saw the EU agree to give up 25 percent of current quotas over the next five-and-a-half years.

The UK is expected to have access to an additional £145million of fishing quota by June 2026.

Once the five-year period is up, the EU will negotiate how much fish it could take from British waters on an annual basis — if it’s not satisfied, it can impose economic measures against the UK.

Yet, the UK will also be well within its rights to remove EU access to UK waters.

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To assist with the transition, the French Government confirmed it would support fishermen and fishmongers with individual aid after the Brexit deal was signed.

The French fisheries ministry said: “Fishermen and wholesalers will be able to benefit from a flat-rate aid of up to €30,000 (£26,000) depending on their dependence on products caught in British waters.”

This compensation is expected to help ease the turnover losses of companies which depended on UK waters.

There is also investment aid under a recovery plan and the EU’s “fleet exit plan”, for vessels who were dependent on UK waters which now want to stop activity.

Yet, it’s clear that French fishermen are no longer content with the measures Jersey has put in place for its fishing waters by their protest this week.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reiterated his “unequivocal support” for the island, while Jersey’s External Relations Minister Ian Gorst said discussions to resolve the tensions today were “positive”.

Mr Gorst added: “We agreed that all sides remain committed to engaging with our partners in the EU and France to resolve the concerns arising from the issuing of fishing licences under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement, which led to today’s protest.”

The European Commission said it is “engaging in good faith” with the UK to solve the dispute.

The two large French vessels sent in to support the fishermen were reportedly seen leaving the area today, along with the protesting French fishing boats.

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