The French fishermen have the entire Atlantic Ocean, the southern Mediterranean Sea, and a sizeable part of the English Channel. In almost all the West Coast, most of the regions contain more than 20,000 fishermen. The regions of the Rhone, Saône and Loire, Gold Coast and Isère have at least 20,000 fishermen. The northern France region have at least 10,000 fishermen.
The French already fish out 756,228 tonnes per annum, worth 22.5 billion euros, with a per capita consumption per household of 33.5 kg.
How much more fish can the French eat? They must literally have poisson coming out of their ears. How much Lamprey à la Bordelaise, or Saumon à l’oseille, do the French want with their Matelote, and Sole Meunière? Stuff more of that broiled swordfish à la Niçoise down your gullets, along with your Bouillabaisse with basil rouille, and Halibut brochettes Provençale. Cod and chips? Non!
Because of Brexit, Jersey, a British Crown dependency, is now unfortunately at the front line of a French fishing onslaught, where massive French super trawlers that cause vast amounts of ecological damage are demanding they enter the fishing zones for British fishermen only. Yes, Jersey, and Guernsey are close to the French coast, but that is no excuse for invading its sovereign Channel fishing territory.
If you are a French fisherman, why not move to the West Atlantic zone, or the Southern Mediterranean Sea?
Is French cuisine so dependent on fish for fuck’s sake, yes, of course fish is a large part of Haute cuisine, but the already vast amount that France fishes per annum should be sufficient. The sheer insanity of threatening to cut off Jersey’s electricity or to blockade the Channel Tunnel is, it seems, more of an exercise in punishing the UK for Brexit in a vindictive, nasty way that creates more needless conflict.
We all know, and have witnessed the overt nature of the French ministers attempting to punish Britain since Brexit, but does this sort of uncivil, spiteful and malicious behaviour befit such a supposedly cultured civilised nation as France?
Maybe, next time, Britain may not save France from whatever ogre bears down on it.
