In one of the more bizarre ramifications of Brexit, fights have been breaking out between fishermen in international waters over a certain decadent shellfish.
Earlier this week, a collection of 40 French fishing vessels attacked 5 larger boats. According to several accounts, French fishermen began throwing everything they could at the British boats: rocks, eggs, bottles, flares… A long-standing gentleman’s agreement has kept things calm between the two nations’ fishermen, but after 15 years of disputes, French fishermen finally lost it. The reason why is that the French fishing industry, which is more regulated than the British one, forbids scallop fishing until October, and the French feel that Britons coming too close to French shores are “poaching” their stock. Legally, the British are allowed to fish off the coast of France according to EU regulations, but Britain’s recent decision to leave the EU has left many feeling that if they want out the Union, they’d better get out of EU waters.
The results of this fishy encounter have yet to be determined, but to quote CNN, when it comes to Brexit, this is no red herring.
