This was the central question in the so-called Lobster War between France and Brazil in the early 1960s. When they refused, the Brazilian Navy captured a French vessel and shut off access to all French boats off their coast. This ignited an international incident that was not resolved until 1964, when the countries to reach an agreement that expanded Brazil’s territorial waters but allowed limited French lobster fishing. French fishermen were upset that their country prohibited them from harvesting scallops between May and October, while British fishermen could fish year-round. According to the British fishermen, the French vessels threw stones and nets at the British boats, along with French taunts worthy of any Monty Python sketch.

Source: The Nation May 26, 2021 06:56 UTC