The French fishing boats positioned themselves in the port of St. Helier on Thursday morning in such a way that fishing boats from Jersey could not leave, reported the broadcaster France 3. They were accompanied by some fishermen from the coastal town of Barneville-Carteret on Thursday night, for example Brittany set out for Jersey. According to the French news agency AFP, more than 50 French fishing boats have gathered in front of St. Helier.
After the British left the EU, there was a dispute over total catches and their distribution. Out of anger about the allegedly slow granting of fishing licenses to French fishermen on the Channel Island, the French Minister of the Sea, Annick Girardin, threatened retaliatory measures and mentioned jersey’s power supply via an undersea cable. The British government is monitoring the situation off Jersey with two patrol boats. It was a precautionary measure, a blockade of the island should be prevented, it said.