They blasted British officials for not dishing out permits as they try to guard the UK’s precious stocks from overfishing – a problem which has blighted French waters. French fishermen have claimed they are facing financial ruin if they continue to be blocked from the UK’s rich fishing grounds.
Christophe Lomel, who has been a fisherman in France for 38 years, told RTL: “I have been going to sea for 38 years, and I have always been fishing in these waters, just like all of my colleagues from Boulogne.
“Unfortunately, the British are turning a deaf ear.
“We’ve been waiting since 1st January.
“Now, we are supposed to go there, but we can’t go there, it’s a cohabitation in the same zone, which makes it very complicated.”
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Pleas for help from Westminster have fallen on “deaf ears”, they say and they are now calling on Emmanuel Macron’s government to take action via the EU.
Only 22 fishing vessels out of 120, in Hauts-de-France, the northernmost region of France, are currently allowed to fish in British waters, according to Bruno Margolle, the president of the French National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations.
Mr Margolle expects the French government to be more active with finding a solution in Brussels.
Negotiations between London and the EU over any teething issues created by the Brexit trade deal will be discussed in the Belgium capital.
It is not currently clear how and if the situation will change.
The 11th hour deal – struck to stave off a no deal Brexit has not been without its critics on both sides of the English Channel.
Under the UK-EU future relationship pact, Brussels agreed to hand back 25 percent of the fish its fleet catches in British waters.
This will be phased in over a five-and-a-half-year transition period, due to expire in June 2026, before annual negotiations over future access.
At the time the government hailed it as a compromise that would benefit both sides.
But many Brexit supporters have also sharply criticised Boris Johnson over the agreement – saying it gives the EU too much of a say.
Meanwhile, the EU’s fishing lobby has moaned that many of their members have been unable to get a special permit allowing them to use UK waters.
A Defra spokesperson said: “The UK maintains a consistent, evidence-based approach to licensing EU vessels using information supplied by the European Commission.
“We do not recognise the figures that have been shared by the French fishing industry and consider this reaction to be unjustified. Our concerns regarding the planned protest action have been raised directly with the French authorities.”
