In 2012, British and French scallop fishers clashed in a collection of violent encounters, dubbed the “great scallop war” within the press. The battle didn't escalate past rammed boats and thrown rocks, however it heightened tensions between the 2 governments, and when Brexit went into impact in 2020, a majority of French fishers had been banned from working in British territorial waters. This 12 months, after the United Kingdom banned backside trawling to guard fragile marine habitats, the French authorities protested vehemently and threatened to reply with punitive commerce measures.