Boris Johnson says Royal Navy to stay on patrol in Jersey even as fishermen retreat

British PM Boris Johnson, on May 6, said that Royal Navy ships will remain in the English Channel even as French fishing boats and a military ship have returned to France. On May 6, nearly 60 French fishing boats descended in the sea near Jersey demanding their post-Brexit rights. The fishermen threatened to put the trade into an impasse by blocking the island’s St Helier port.

"We are pleased that French fishing boats have now left the vicinity of Jersey. Given the situation is resolved for now, the Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessels will prepare to return to port in the UK. We remain on standby to provide any further assistance Jersey requests," Number 10 said in a statement. 

Fearing a possible clash, the UK deployed two ships from the Royal fleet-—HMS Severn and HMS Tamar—to Jersey "as a precaution". Soon, the Macron Administration deployed French military ops ship Athos on a "patrol mission" in the same region. However, fishing boats held talks with Jersey authorities and retreated post lunchtime. While Athos returned soon after, the British ships still remained stationed on standby in the area. 

Why are the fishermen protesting?

The BBC reported that the boats are protesting against new fishing rules introduced last week by the Jersey government under the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement. As per the agreement, to acquire fishing permits, boats have to show their previous history of fishing in the waters. However, the fishermen said that Jersey authorities demanded additional documents in order to give them a green signal.

Emanuel Macron administration has backed the backed fishermen stating that the UK had breached the agreement and that French boats were "acting in the spirit of responsibility". However, Boris Johnson stressed that Jersey authorities had the right to regulate fisheries in their waters under the agreement. 

"The real way to solve this is not by rolling over and giving (the) French what they want. They want the conditions completely removed from the licenses.” Don Thompson, president of the Jersey Fishermen’s Association told AP,  if French fishermen had missing paperwork, “then they just need to go back to their government, not hold Jersey under siege."

Image: Britannica/API