A fishing conflict on the island of Jersey raises the tension between Paris and London

Fishing was the most sensitive and contentious issue for London and Brussels to close the Brexit trade deal, and it threatens to exacerbate diplomatic tension between the governments of the United Kingdom and France. The unilateral decision of the Government of the island of Jersey, attached to the coast of Normandy, but under historical British rule - its foreign and defense policy is decided by Downing Street - to restrict access to its waters to French fishermen has unleashed this Thursday a political conflict that has ended with the two countries' decision to send military vessels to the area "to control the situation," according to the British Government.

Some eighty ships, mostly trawlers, are protesting off the port of Saint Helier in Jersey.

The French Government, through its Minister for Maritime Affairs, Annick Girardin, has even threatened to cut the power supply to the island, which receives almost 95% of its consumption through three large submarine cables from the mainland.

Meanwhile, the Conservative Party of the British Boris Johnson faces this Thursday a wide electoral day - local, autonomous elections in Scotland and the battle for a new deputy in the English constituency of Hartlepool - which has led the prime minister to make a demonstration of force.

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The British fishing industry, mainly the Scottish one, felt betrayed by the new trade agreement signed with Brussels. What happened in Jersey may further fuel the spirits on a key election day for Johnson to revive his popularity. If the prime minister comes under pressure, French President Emmanuel Macron is also aware of the strong national symbolism that French fishermen have, and that any sign of weakness would be seized upon by Marine Le Pen's National Front, whose breath is beginning to rise. notice in polls.

"The Prime Minister has reiterated his unequivocal support for Jersey and has confirmed that the two Royal Navy patrols sent to the area will remain there to monitor the situation, as a precautionary measure," a Downing Street spokesman said Thursday, after Johnson spoke on the phone with Jersey's Chief Minister John Le Fondré, his Deputy Minister, Lyndon Farnharm, and Foreign Minister Ian Gorst.

When the Jersey authorities began issuing the new post-Brexit fishing licenses last Friday, in order to fish its 12 nautical miles, many fishermen were surprised that their request was rejected. The alleged reason was that they had not been able to prove their historical links to that fishing area. That is, they had fished for at least more than 10 days, within a period of twelve months, in the last three years. Many vessels do not have a GPS log to show such prior presence, so Jersey issued only 41 licenses. At least 17 large workers have been excluded. The island has also imposed other conditions, such as the limitation of nets and the prohibition of fishing for bream in certain areas, while preservation studies of the species are carried out.

Although the new Brexit trade agreement preserved the existing slaughter rights of French fishermen for a period of six years, it eliminated the validity of the historic Granville Bay Agreement, which granted special rights to French fishermen up to three miles off the Jersey shore.

The EU has put itself in the conflict on the French side and has described the new rules imposed as “discriminatory”.

"Any new condition must be previously notified to the other party, and given enough time to analyze and respond," said a spokesman for the European Commission.

"If the UK authorities do not provide new justifications for their decision, the rules imposed are void," he added.