The government on Tuesday asked banks, prefects and public finance departments to show flexibility towards fishermen in the Bay of Biscay who could encounter “financial difficulties” due to the one-month fishing ban in the Bay of Biscay, which began on Monday.
In the coming months, cash flow support for players in the sector will be essential, judge the Ministers of the Economy Bruno Le Maire and of the Ecological Transition Christophe Bchu, in two letters addressed on the one hand to the prefects and on the other hand to the president of the French Banking Federation (FBF).
Since Monday, fishermen have been banned from fishing in the Bay of Biscay for a month to preserve dolphins. They will be compensated for an amount of between 80 and 85% of their turnover, the government had already announced.
If the government promises that this aid will be paid as quickly as possible, the situation could cause financial difficulties for fishing companies in the short term.
The government is therefore asking that banks relieve fishermen’s cash flow, whether via new cash lines or temporary debt arrangements.
At the same time, he expects prefects to mobilize support bodies for businesses in difficulty under their authority, such as the departmental committees for examining business financing problems (Codefi).
The government also requested cash flow support from the regional and departmental public finance directorates in the territories concerned, which collect business taxes.
This one-month fishing ban, until February 20 inclusive, follows a decision by the Council of State. It concerns all boats of eight meters or more equipped with certain types of nets, a measure intended to prevent dolphins and porpoises from being accidentally captured.
It applies to all boats active in the area, French and flying foreign flags. In France, more than 450 ships are affected and losses estimated at tens of millions of euros.