The visit was announced at dawn this Sunday morning. To support French fishermen and in particular those of Boulogne-sur-mer (the leading French fishing port), the Minister of the Sea invited around forty players from the fishing industry to Audinghen in the premises of the Cross Gris-Nez (Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue at Sea) which is responsible for the English Channel.
About fifty licenses missing on the Opal Coast
Annick Girardin arrived at the Cross around 10am for a meeting on fishing licenses. Since the implementation of Brexit, France has not managed to obtain for all its fishermen the right to work in English waters, which are full of fish. According to professionals in the sector, 220 licenses have been granted by the British government but 150 are missing, including about fifty for the fishermen of Boulogne and Etaples. “The French front is united“says Annick Girardin,”the european commission is aligned, we will not let go“.
Which fleet exit plan?
Thursday, the Minister of the Sea announced a plan to end the crisis during the Assizes de la Mer in Saint-Paul-de-Léon in Brittany. An envelope of 40 to 60 million euros for the bosses who would like to stop. A plan that had caused a lot of anxiety and anger in Boulogne.