The port of Boulogne-sur-Mer has been left stunned by the unexpected death at the weekend of Jacques Wattez, a colourful and prominent figure in the region’s fishing industry. With his ready wit, a sharp sense of business, a strong attachment to Boulogne and a passion for football, Jacques Wattez was at the centre of the port’s activities for his whole working life.
The grandson of a vessel owner and the son of a fishmonger, he was brought up in the fishing and seafood sectors of Boulogne’s Capécure district.
‘Jacques was certainly a major figure, an entrepreneur, a key figure of the Capécure district and our port, and tirless advocate of the seafood business. His passion for sport also made him an iconic figure in our city through his long-term commitment to our club, USBCO, for which he served as president for 25 years. Jacques Wattez was the driving force of the club’s rise to League 1 and he remained an avid supporter,’ said former mayor of Boulogne-sur-Mer Frédéric Cuvillier.
‘Jacques was a man of character, at the same time warm and as demanding towards others as he was to himself. In our many meetings to discuss the future of USBCO as well as our port’s fisheries, I always appreciated his frankness, his sometimes abrupt positions that marked the ambition he had in his economic or sporting projects for our port – and he was, at all times, a defender of Boulogne.’
In 1986 Jacques Wattez established vessel agency Unipêche, and over the years built up a number of successful ventures around the Sofipêche group with its 140-strong workforce.
These ventures include Unipêche’s digital partner Whatfish, fishmongering businesses Uni-Marée and Vadet, fishing company Armement Boulonnais and frozen seafood processor Appeti’Marine in Dunkerque.
An imaginative entrepreneur who didn’t shy away from taking a risk, Jacques Wattez stepped in as president of CTPP, which subsequently became Copalis, before absorbing Valofish to become Scogal. Initially an underperforminging fishmeal operation as CTPP, Scogal has since become a leader in enzymatic hydrolysis and a world leader in supplying the market for food supplements.
