Fishermen are blockading the main French channel ports, bringing freight and passenger ferry services between France and Britain to a halt.

The protests against renewed fishing quotas affect the busy ports of Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk.

There is no early or easy end in sight to the bitter standoff and the protesters have plenty of experience in bringing normal sea traffic to a halt.

The fishermen are protesting against restrictions on catches, which they say are too severe and put their livelihoods at risk.

The unions are demanding that European fishing quotas be increased, notably for cod.

This year, European cod quotas are being portioned out in quarters, with 40% earmarked for the first quarter.

But the local fishermen have already exceeded the first quarter quotas and, in some cases, quotas ending in June, a ministry official said.

José Huleux, head of the regional fishing union, told France info radio the 500 fishermen of the three ports, representing 100 boats, would not back down.

“If you don’t fight, you don’t get anywhere,” he said. “We are worried about our profession."

“And if we don’t get invited to discuss these issues with the prime minister, or if quotas are not relaxed, then we are ready, and determined, to keep our protests up.”

Patrick Haezebrouck of the CGT union, part of a labour coalition representing the fishermen, added: "We're taking tough action, for as long as it takes, because small-scale fishing is dying while fish stocks are flourishing.”

Tensions

So far, the response by the French fisheries ministry is unlikely to ease tensions.

French minister Barnier later offered to meet the fishermen's representatives in Paris on Thursday to discuss measures to ease their hardship, but ruled out revising the quotas.

A ministry spokesman argued that quotas have already been raised 30% from last year.

The heart of the problem, according to Fisheries Minister Michel Barnier, is that there are “too many boats”, adding that measures already exist to compensate fishermen who cannot make ends meet.

Port and transport authorities confirmed that cross-Channel ferry and freight traffic had been halted on Tuesday, and urged car and truck drivers to delay their voyage or to choose a different route.

Earlier, ferry operator LD Lines had confirmed it had cancelled its afternoon service to Britain from Boulogne.

Meanwhile, hundreds of passengers waiting for their chance to board an England-bound ferry remain stuck in France.

French fishermen have a history of blockading Channel ports and disrupting the free passage of ferries and other vessels across the busy English Channel.

Calais, Dunkirk and Boulogne are separated from southern England by the 21-mile (34-kilometre) Straits of Dover, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.