France frees UK trawler caught up in Channel fishing dispute

By JILL LAWLESS and ANGELA CHARLTON
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — A British-registered scallop boat caught up in a post-Brexit spat between the U.K. and France over fishing licenses has been released by French authorities. Owner Macduff Shellfish said the dredger had left Le Havre in northern France. French maritime police seized the Cornelis Gert Janoff off the Normandy coast last week and detained its skipper and crew over a paperwork infraction. The vessel became a symbol of a bigger feud between the U.K. and France over fishing rights in the English Channel. The French government has threatened to close its ports to some British boats if more licenses are not granted. but said Wednesday that it wouldn’t act before Saturday.