The Minquiers and Écréhous in spatial context: Contemporary issues and cross perspectives on border islands, reefs and rocks

The Minquiers and Ecrehous reefs are located in different parts of the Gulf of St Malo between the British island of Jersey and the French mainland. As a part of the Bailiwick of Jersey, they are geographically very close to the international sea border between Jersey and France, and have had a history of disputed sovereignty. Due to their respective geographical locations and histories, the Minquiers and Ecrehous are important sites for the field of Island Studies because of their existence as "border islands". This article offers a study of these reefs in their spatial context of land and sea, discussing contemporary issues, including fishing, environmentalism and tourism, and offering cross perspectives in terms of their political, economic and cultural connections with Jersey and France. They exist in a context of immense spatial change with substantial tidal ebbs and flows, and between mainlands and historically contested maritime terrains. Such a study helps show how the Minquiers and Ecrehous occupy an inbetween space (land, sea and nations), which resulted in international agreements in 2000 that confirmed both the maritime boundary separating France and Jersey, and the areas agreed on as common waters for fishing purposes within Jersey's iurisdiction. In this setting, this paper offers a critical discussion on the nature of "islands inbetween" (including all the Channel Islands), where land and sea are interconnected as a result of nature, politics, historical fishing rights and leisure activities.