The island’s fishing industry has expressed concern around continuing tensions between Britain and France.

It comes as the UK Brexit Minister Lord Frost met with France’s Europe Minister Clement Beaune in Paris in an attempt to resolve the dispute over post-Brexit fishing rights.

Following the meeting, a UK government statement said the pair had ’discussed the range of difficulties arising from the application of the agreements between the UK and the EU’, and they will speak again early next week.

Tensions flared up last month after the UK and Jersey denied fishing permits to several French boats.

France then threatened a series of measures against the UK unless more licences were granted by November 2.

French President Emmanuel Macron then pulled the threats at the last minute ahead of more talks between the two sides.

David Beard, chief executive of the Manx Fish Producers’ Association, expressed concerns for the Isle of Man’s fishing industry, saying if France enforced their threats it would have a ’massive impact’ here.

He told Manx Radio: ’It’s going to have a massive impact on UK fisheries and on Manx fisheries because we have to export our product into France through the french ports.

’So it’s a worrying development and not helpful to anybody.’

He added that French fisherman would also not want to see these threats enforced.

He said: ’If you speak to the French fishermen they don’t want UK stocks to be stopped coming in because they rely so heavily on that to supply their customers.

’There [are] a lot of French people within the industry who do not want this conflict.

’So it’s a worrying development and let’s hope that the UK and French politicians discuss and see sense and get things so that we can actually carry on with our businesses.’

Meanwhile, the island’s seven month king scallop fishing season has started.

Earlier this year, the island’s Scallop Management Board said the impact of Covid-19 and Brexit meant carrying on ’business as usual’ was no longer possible.

In August, the board and the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture launched a public consultation seeking views on major changes to the future management of the island’s multi-million pound king scallop industry to ensure its long-term sustainability.

The consultation closed on October 29.

The government said: ’The industry is of significant commercial importance for the island, generating up to several million pounds from landings in Manx territorial waters each year, depending on stock status and market demand.

’If backed the changes would mean a significant departure from the existing management framework to one that takes account of "bioeconomics", ensuring sustainability and conservation of the king scallop stock and economic sustainability for businesses.’