Traffic jam at the Eurotunnel: fishermen block ports on the English Channel

Traffic jam at the Eurotunnel
Fishermen block ports on the English Channel

French fishermen are only allowed to cast their nets off the British Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey with a license. However, when the British side refused permission several times, protests broke out. This is not only noticeable on the water.

French fishermen have temporarily blocked several ports and the access to the Channel Tunnel in Calais in the dispute with Great Britain over the issuing of licenses. The ports of Calais, Saint-Malo and Ouistreham were affected. Fishermen blocked the ferry traffic with their boats for around an hour at a time. When the access to the terminal for the railway channel tunnel was blocked in the afternoon, trucks jammed in the motorway lanes.

Fischer trucks stop at the Eurotunnel.

(Photo: REUTERS)

The dispute concerns fishing licenses for French fishermen off the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, which are subject to the British Crown. The islands are much closer to the French coast than to the English one. Since Britain left the EU, French fishermen have had to apply for licenses. Because various applications have been rejected, France accuses Great Britain of not adhering to the Brexit agreements. London rejects this.

“We are blocking exports, everything that comes from France and the European Union to England, especially to reach the British people so that they can understand what is going on here,” said the regional chairman of the fisheries association, Olivier Leprêtre. “Since January 1st, the British have had access to the European market and we have no access to water, as was signed in the contract.”

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