Fishermen block an oil depot in Frontignan to protest against the increase in fuel prices

Around a hundred fishermen blocked access to an oil depot in Frontignan (Hérault) this Wednesday morning, on the third day of a mobilization aimed at calling on the government over the rise in fuel prices and the deterioration of their working conditions. “The aim of the maneuver is to continue the movement until we are received by the Minister” of Fisheries Catherine Chabaud, Ange Natoli, a representative of the fishermen, told AFP. According to the fishermen, a meeting with the minister is planned for Thursday.

The objective is “to show that we are not letting go of the pressure. And depending on what is said tomorrow, we will judge the continuation of the movement.” He said that around a hundred fishermen had mobilized in Frontignan around 3 a.m. Images broadcast by BFMTV showed a fire lit at an intersection leading to the oil depot. Already on Tuesday morning, fishermen had blocked an oil depot in Fos-sur-Mer for several hours, before an intervention by the CRS who lifted the blockade.

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“We cannot work at a loss”

The fishermen had displayed banners: “Europe is killing us”, “The EU is sinking our boats and Paris is watching us”. In the port of Sète (Hérault), fishermen prevented the departure of a Corsica Ferries boat on Tuesday. In the absence of “significant progress” after the meeting with the minister, “I do not think that the movement will stop,” Ange Natoli further warned. “We risk hardening the movement” because “we cannot work at a loss.”

The regional fisheries committees of Occitanie, Paca and Corsica, the three producer organizations (PO) of the Mediterranean and seafarers' unions (employees and employers) launched a joint protest movement on the Mediterranean coast on Monday. Fishing professionals denounce “a continued deterioration of their operating conditions”, due in particular to “the increase in operating and fuel costs” but also a “multiplication of administrative and regulatory constraints”. France is the second European producer of fishing products, behind Spain, with 477,000 tonnes of fish and shellfish caught in 2024, an almost stable volume (+1%) compared to 2023, according to government data.