URK, Netherlands — The fishermen of Urk know that Brexit is going to hurt, but they aren't going to accept the pain without a fight.

The Dutch coastal town is built on fish. Until 1939, and the construction of a dyke to the mainland, it was an island. Its inhabitants were so isolated from the rest of the country that in winter the sick had to be transported across the ice on sledges to reach the nearest hospital.

The deeply traditional place, where crosses dot the landscape, has never lost that feeling of separation. The local dialect of Urkish, which dates back to the town's 10th century roots, is still widely spoken by young and old alike. To this day, Urkers say they are "on" rather than "in" Urk.

The town, whose flag and coat of arms both feature a fish design, will need all of that resilience to survive possibly its biggest ever economic challenge — the U.K.'s departure from the EU.

Fishing makes up 40 percent of the local economy and Urk is where 32 percent of the Netherlands' fish is bought and sold. Fishing in turn is 0.1 percent of added value to the Dutch economy. The fear is that if Dutch vessels are shut out of U.K. waters as part of the British government's pitch to "take back control" much of that value will disappear overnight. Urkish locals fear the end of family businesses and a way of life relegated to a maritime museum.

Fishing towns up and down the North Sea coast and further afield are watching the Brexit talks with apprehension.

A recent report from the EU's Committee of the Regions looking at the predicted cultural and economic fallout from Brexit singled out Urk as one of the fishing communities in the EU27 with the most to lose.

But they are far from alone. Fishing towns up and down the North Sea coast and further afield are watching the Brexit talks with apprehension. Fishing communities from Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands last October rallied behind a joint declaration signed in Spain's Santiago de Compostela that calls on Brussels to prioritize fishing. They fear that their sector may be too far down the priority list for EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and his negotiating team to put up a real fight for their interests — particularly with such a vocal political lobby pushing London for a good deal.

"We all know that fisheries is a small sector in the U.K. but it is an icon in Brexit. The U.K. want to have some success in Brexit — for example on fishing — we think that our fishing companies and our families will lose something [in the final Brexit deal]," said Geert Meun, the chief secretary of Visned, a local fishing industry organization.

His members are turning to Dutch Fisheries Minister Carola Schouten and Barnier to protect them from financial ruin.

"Our new minister [Schouten] was born the daughter of a farmer so she understands very well our situation because fishermen and farmers are similar. I'm confident she'll do her very best to deliver a good deal," said Andries de Boer, a shipowner who runs a fishing company with three vessels and comes from a long line of Urk fishermen.

Status quo

What they want most is to keep things as they are — a deal that will maintain access to U.K. waters in return for access to European markets. "We hope [Barnier] reaches an agreement on fishing with the least impact possible and we ask him to please continue the current situation but we all know that isn't going to happen," said Meun, clutching a mug of milky coffee in the offices of Visned, in the industrial part of town.

The U.K. exported 442,000 metric tons of fish in 2017. Four of its top buyers are in the EU, so although it will in theory be possible to erect a legal barrier to foreign vessels once it leaves the EU's Common Fisheries Policy, without a deal on market access, British fishermen may struggle to sell their catches.

The October Santiago Declaration calls on Brussels to use the leverage that buying power represents. "We call upon [European decision-makers] to uphold the principle of reciprocity in trade relationships so as to make access to European markets for British seafood products conditional on access to fishing grounds for our fleets," it reads.

But access to U.K. waters is only one concern for Urk's trawlermen. Many own vessels on the other side of the North Sea too. Since these vessels are part of the British fleet, the Dutch investors own a share of both U.K. and Dutch fish quotas.

"In the last 10 or 15 years, it was easier to buy quota in England because there are more of the ... species [such as plaice and nephrops lobsters] we catch available. So you invest your money in quota in England and it's very easy to swap quota to the Netherlands and vice versa," said Rense de Boer, who owns one vessel in England and one in Urk.

Fishermen are worried the U.K. government will oblige British-flagged vessels to land U.K. quota at British ports.

With Britain in the EU, the fishermen can simply shift quotas from one ship to another. After Brexit, however, the U.K. will likely fall under a similar quota regime to Norway, meaning it is the European Commission that will negotiate quota shares. Any quota received from a non-EU member has to be shared among EU countries so such quota swaps will no longer be possible.

Rense De Boer said he does more than 100 quota swaps a year. "[When] the U.K. becomes an independent coastal state, [fishermen in Urk] have a huge problem," he said.

Fishermen are worried the U.K. government will oblige British-flagged vessels to land U.K. quota at British ports. This would mean Dutch owners would have to pay as much as a 24 percent tariff to sell their fish to the Continent, the world's largest consumer of seafood. According to the Dutch government, more than 25 percent of the fish auctioned in Urk come from U.K. flagged vessels.

"Right now, it is the same if you land [the fish] in England, Holland or France. But now Brexit is coming and if you have to fill in papers and talk to customs, I think it will be more difficult than it is to land the fish in England and sell it in Holland," said Albert Romkes, who fishes in the English Channel in the winter.

"We'll have to pay import tax," added Andries de Boer. "It would be death for the flagged boats."

The Dutch government can't guarantee that the EU will be able to deliver what its fleet desires, but Fisheries Minister Schouten reassured fishermen that The Hague is doing its best.

When asked what the Dutch government's game plan is for negotiations with Barnier, Schouten said the talks include "access to waters and access to the markets on both sides. I think this is a very important aspect."

Schouten said she wants more clarity from the U.K. on its plans. "What you see there is that many families work in the fishing industry and it is not only a few ships that will be harmed. It's a whole village that might get into trouble if we don't have good arrangements. Therefore it's very important also for them to have clarity [on the U.K.'s position] soon," said the Dutch minister.

"Our fishermen are waiting for it. We want to know what the plans are of the British because then we know what kind of relationship we will have in the future and now it's quite unclear where we stand," she added.

Transition win

Some clarity was provided last month, with the agreement of a transition deal between the two sides that was met with relief in Urk. For 21 months after the U.K.'s exit date, it will effectively remain part of the CFP, although with no formal say over quota negotiations. That means access to U.K. waters for EU27 fishermen can continue — much to the anger of their British counterparts and Brexiteer politicians.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, who leads the European Research Group Brexit caucus in the U.K. parliament, said he thinks the fishing concession is "regrettable" and "an error."

Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May does not appear in a rush to unveil her government's vision for how it wants fisheries to be managed post Brexit. A long-awaited fisheries white paper has been delayed multiple times and is now expected by late May or June.

She told MPs last month that "from my point of view, what I want to ensure is that we do take back control of our waters" and that fishing would not be a "bargaining chip" in a final Brexit deal. May did not rule out a mutually beneficial access agreement though, saying that parts of the U.K. fleet wanted to keep fishing in EU waters.

Back in Urk, the Dutch fishermen can sympathize with their U.K. counterparts' efforts to keep the British industry's interests on the political agenda. They say that over the years they have bonded with British fishermen over a mutual dislike of Brussels — a common enemy for EU fishing folk.

"First we were colleagues and then we became friends. We worked together and our relationship got better and better until the Brexit vote came," said Andries de Boer.

That inevitably now places them at odds. "They understood that they have to fight to get the best deal possible," he said.

Urk has so much to lose, its fishermen know they must do the same.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misstated the added value to the Dutch economy represented by fishing. It is 0.1 percent.