Although the British fishing industry has long been thought to be in terminal decline, its counterpart in France is in truly dire straits, forcing the government to offer huge subsidies of dubious legality to keep it afloat.

The fundamental problem in France is that its fishing fleet consists predominantly of tiny ships. More than half are less than 10 metres in length. Worse, most consume large amounts of fuel, towing behind them outdated, large and very heavy nets. The huge increase in oil prices, combined with the decline in fish stocks in the North Sea and the Channel, has meant that many fishermen often return with a catch worth less than the cost of a night’s fishing.

The offer of 300 million Euros over three years may keep most of them in business for the time being, provided that the subsidy is not successfully challenged in the European Court. In the long run, however, officials in the French seaman’s union predict that half the ships in the industry may be beached unless much larger modern vessels are introduced at government expense.  

From our August 2008 e-newsletter