Icon: enlarge
French trawler en route in British waters
Photo: NICOLAS GUBERT / AFP
Suddenly a touch of seafaring romance pervades the sober office space with linoleum floor.
"My grandfather and father were already fishing there," says Bruno Margolle, a sprightly 61-year-old with a gold chain on his arm.
The head of the fishing cooperative in Boulogne-sur-Mer pulled out his mobile phone and called up an app that can be used to track the route of ships.
The "Nicolas Jeremy", the trawler he bought almost twenty years ago and on which his son now goes to sea, is in the English Channel off the south coast of England - in British waters.
If Boris Johnson has his way, it should end in the future.
Britain's prime minister is determined to deliver on one of the greatest promises that Brexiteers and he personally made to the British in his election campaign: the United Kingdom wants sovereignty over its waters back.
"Our sea, our fish" is their slogan.
For Margolle and the fishermen of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Johnson's promise is a challenge.
Boats from Boulogne fetch salmon from the sea off the coast of Scotland, they fish mackerel near Hull and haddock in the English Channel.
"This access," says Margolle, "is vital for us."
On average, 60 percent of the catch by French fishermen comes from British waters.
Read more with Spiegel Plus
More perspectives, more understanding.
Your advantages with SPIEGEL +
Icon: Check
DER SPIEGEL as a magazine
as an app, e-paper and on the e-reader
Icon: Check
All articles on SPIEGEL.de
Exclusive texts for SPIEGEL + readers
Icon: Check
Try one month for free
Cancel anytime online
A price
only € 19.99 per month
One month for € 0.00
Try now for 0.00 € Buy nowArrow to the right
Already have a digital subscription? Register here
Restore iTunes subscription
SPIEGEL + is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with a purchase confirmation.
24 hours before it expires, the subscription is automatically renewed by one month at the current price of 19.99 €
You can cancel the subscription at any time in the settings of your iTunes account.
In order to use SPIEGEL + outside of this app, you have to link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchase.
With the purchase you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.
