U.K. and France deploy naval vessels in spat over fishing rights

The U.K. was deploying two Royal Navy patrol boats to the British island of Jersey on Thursday amid escalating tension over fishing rights with France. France said it would also send its own navy vessels to monitor the situation.

The incident is just the latest flare-up over the issue after Britain's exit from the European Union.  Jersey is a small, self-governing British island, located 14 miles off the coast of northern France. Jersey officials issued 41 fishing licenses to French vessels, but France said those licenses unilaterally imposed stricter conditions on the vessels than the terms under the Brexit agreement signed by the U.K. and the EU. According to the Reuters news agency, the limitations included limiting the time the vessels would be allowed to fish in British waters.