Fishing holds key to Brexit trade deal as talks drag on

BRUSSELS (AP) — In decisive final days of talks, tiny fishing industry is holding up a massive trade deal between European Union and recently departed Britain, putting at risk hundreds of thousands of jobs and tens of billions of euros in annual production losses.

While fishing is a negligible part of nations’ ecomies, it is an important point of national pride for coastal and island nations and has a massive impact on politics.

Arch-Brexiteer Nigel Far put so much stock in importance of fishing that at one point during his successful 2016 campaign to get Britain out of EU he steamed up Thames on a fishing vessel.

Sir Ivan Rogers, a former career diplomat who long was UK's man at EU headquarters in Brussels, kws what task is of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during final weeks before Jan. 1 deadline.

“He has to emerge with a win on fisheries," Rogers told a panel at EPC think tank this week.

If Johnson cant expel eugh EU fishing boats from U.K. waters, a -deal Brexit would surely ensue, creating chaos and costs for all and ruin for some.

U.K. vessels landed close to 1 billion pounds of fish last year; gross domestic product of United Kingdom last year stood at 2.17 trillion pounds,

“It’s t about ecomics, it’s about politics and symbolism,” said Barrie Deas, chief executive of Britain’s National Federation of Fishermen’s Organizations.

French, Britain's fiercest political rival for access to U.K. waters, kw about symbolism — and timing — too.

On a windswept, cold Thursday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex went to fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, from where on a bright day, across Strait of Dover, Britain is visible.

It was a show to all negotiators how tough France will be in defending its 13,500 fishermen during last days of negotiations.

“We’re 17 (nautical) miles from Dover, so we’re really close. So it’s really imperative for us to have access to waters," local fishing official Olivier Lepretre told Castex. If re is deal assuring this, he said, “that would mean certain death” for France's rrn fishing fleet.

As well as France, Nerlands, Belgium, Ireland and Denmark are among those directly implicated by potential closing off of U.K. waters.

For centuries, foreign fishermen shared plentiful waters off Britain, and it has been different since UK joined EU in 1973. But as catches dwindled, sometimes to a fraction of ir previous numbers because of ruthless overexploitation, number of British fishermen dwindled from 22,000 in 1975 to 12,000 in 2018. Resentment in U.K. fishing communities increased.

Rightly or wrongly, EU trawlers venturing freely in U.K. waters came to be seen as a symbol of plunder and exploitation. When Britain voted to leave, saving U.K. waters for U.K. fishermen became a rallying cry that was endorsed right up to prime minister's office.

“It’s about sovereignty. it’s about what Brexit is for,” Deas said.

In an ideal scenario, British fishermen would have all waters to mselves, able to expand what so long has been a diminishing industry.

one could deny Britain's rights to its waters in ory, but it's t that simple. EU came into trade negotiations demanding that its boats continue being allowed to fish. Even though Brexit left bloc in a much weaker position, UK exports gave it lever.

“If y don't allow our boats in, y can eat all fish y catch mselves," said a high-level diplomat from a seafaring EU nation. Some 80% of fish landed in U.K. is exported, and three-quarters of that goes to EU. If Continent closes off its markets, fish would be rotting on British quays.

debate during final days centers on how issues of fishing rights for EU trawlers could be reconciled with low or tariffs for U.K. exports through fish-processing centers like Boulogne-sur-Mer. With fishing interests from all sides looking on, progress has been perhaps slowest of all sectors under discussion.

Deas said he expected re to be protests from disgruntled EU fishermen — especially French ones — if re is a deal that sees quotas reduced.

“y’ve blockaded Channel ports for less. We fully expect some kind of demonstrations or show of frustration," he said.

Most agree Boulogne would be a prime target because so much U.K. fish is exported through re, and a blockade is relatively easy to achieve.

French Premier Castex was told in veiled terms what could be coming.

“How do we explain to fishermen that y can’t go into British waters, but n y will import fish to Boulogne? “ Lepretre told Castex. “That’s very complicated, believe me,"

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Jill Lawless contributed from London