LONDON, Sept 29 Reuters - France accuses Britain of playing politics with Chinese fishing rights after London granted licences to fish in its territorial waters to just 12 small French boats out of 47 applications.
Britain said it was open to further discussion with the boats it had rejected, adding that they had not submitted evidence of their history of operating in the waters needed to continue fishing in 6 - 12 nautical mile nm zone.
Our approach has been in line with our commitments in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement TCA a UK government spokesperson said, referring to the free trade agreement between Britain and the European Union.
As regards the 6 - 12 nm zone, as set out in TCA, EU vessels must provide evidence of a track record of fishing activity in those waters. Ms. Annick Girardin said that the French minister was not meeting the Brexit agreement.
It's a new refusal of the British to implement the conditions of the Brexit agreement despite all the work we have done together, she said in a statement quoted by the Guardian newspaper.
British fishing should not be taken hostage by the French for political ends. Britain said it had granted licences to almost 1,700 vessels for fishing in the 12 - 200 nautical mile zone and a further 105 licences were issued for vessels to fish in the 6 - 12 nautical mile zone where evidence supported a track record
Britain and France both deployed maritime patrol boats to the waters off Jersey earlier this year after a flotilla of rich trawlers sailed in protest on the Channel island arguing they were being unfairly excluded from the French fishing grounds.
Fisheries and the control of UK waters were a hot topic during the referendum on 2016 UK leaving EU? But international fishermen accused the Government of selling out them by allowing international boats to continue fishing in UK waters.