The navies of England and France are sending armed patrol boats to the waters off the British island of Jersey as fishermen from each country contest the rights to fish the area in a post-Brexit battle illustrating the unforeseen consequences of the UK’s exit from the European Union.

According to CNN, France is dispatching navy ships to the area, which has traditionally been a fishing ground for French fishing vessels.  The UK sent two gunboats to the area earlier this week to monitor a protest by French fishermen.

The dispute stems from a new requirement implemented by the British government that French fisheries must submit documentation that they have traditionally fished the waters around Jersey, a precondition of French boats put in place after Brexit took effect.

The typically hyperbolic British print media are framing the tension as a precursor for war, but more rational people understand that the faceoff was caused by the poor planning surrounding the UK’s exit from the European Union and the subsequent lack of trade agreements with its traditional trading partners.

The island of Jersey is in a precarious situation.  While it is British territory, it is heavily dependent on France for its infrastructure and power.  More than 90% of the electricity servicing the island comes via an undersea conduit from France, as due most of the supplies that sustain the 107,000 people living there.  Jersey is just 12 nautical miles from Normandy, France, but nearly 90 nautical miles from England.