Ostend (Belgium) (AFP)

In 1666, King Charles II granted the Flemish city of Bruges the perpetual right to send 50 boats to fish off England.

Three and a half centuries later, the access of Belgian fishermen to fish-rich British waters is threatened by Brexit.

Just like the "fishing privilege" granted by the monarch grateful to his land of exile, Robert Campbell, a sailor on the trawler Den Hoope, single-handedly embodies this special bond.

Aged 50, this Flemish Belgian was born in a fishing port in England, where his father died in his youth.

"My father-in-law was also a fisherman," he told AFP as six crew members unload cases of sole and plaice on the quay.

"He has always fished in English waters, docked in English ports," he said.

"He met my mother and we all came to Belgium when I was five".

At the age of 15, Robert also joined the crew of a boat.

He has since been fishing in British waters, from a Belgian port.

- 50 to 60% of income -

Catches made by the Den Hoope in Dutch or Danish waters are landed in Ostend.

Once the 12 tonnes of fish and crab are unloaded, the trawler sets sail for Great Britain.

When the hold is full of fish, the crew disembarks at Liverpool (North West England), Milford Haven or Swansea in Wales, to unload their cargo.

The fish is then transported by truck through England and the Channel Tunnel, to Belgium to be auctioned there in Ostend, the boat's home port.

For Belgian fishermen, Brexit represents two dangers.

If the small fleet loses its access to British waters, it loses 50 to 60% of its income, underlines the association of boat owners Rederscentrale.

And even if the negotiators find an agreement preserving the fishing quotas, the return of a customs and regulatory border to Dover will cause traffic jams and delays.

- "Catastrophe" -

Queues of hundreds or even thousands of trucks are likely to form, threatening the rapid transport of fish to Ostend, and therefore its freshness.

According to Marc Vieren, an official at Rederscentrale, the industry could possibly survive the loss of access to inshore fishing within 12 nautical miles off the British coast.

But if Brexit prevents access to deeper waters in Britain's economic zone, "it's a disaster for us."

However, the Belgian fleet is already affected by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic: restaurants, such as those in Ostend, which offered rays and turbots, have closed and prices have fallen by 20% since last Friday.

Before the epidemic, Belgian fishermen were having a good year.

The Ostend owners have ordered at least three new boats from a Dutch shipyard.

- "No survival possible" -

One of them is already docked under development.

"If we can no longer fish in English waters, all boat owners will have to sell," predicts Robert Campbell.

"All the people who work on these boats, the houses they bought, all of this is going to fall apart," he continues.

"Nobody knows what" disagree "means. Only politicians know that," he exclaims.

"I hope they will think of us."

Emiel Brouckaert, director of Rederscentrale, explains that his association has joined forces with other EU countries within the framework of the European Fisheries Alliance to push for a solution.

The sector is in contact with the European negotiator Michel Barnier and benefits from the support of governments at regional and federal level, even if it only represents a reduced weight in the country's economy.

"It is very clear that there is no possible survival without access to British waters," warns Mr. Brouckaert, in Zeebrugge.

"We need to talk specifically about fishing, maybe disconnect it from Brexit (...) to reach an agreement to restore (this) right".

© 2020 AFP