The fishermen of Brittany dumped dead fish onto the highways. They burned tires, blocked traffic for miles and defaced customs boats with paint, creating chaos from port to port all along the Atlantic coast.

Then the president showed up.

Since 2005, French fishermen have been complaining, like many business owners, that if fuel costs went beyond about $1.69 a gallon they couldn't make a living. Currently, the fishermen pay about $2.81. (That's a bargain compared with motorists, who pay about $6.23, because they're not exempt from the tax on regular consumers of fuel.)

The price of gas has risen 15% in the last year in France, but the price of fish at auction has stayed relatively stable.

"The slightest profit margin we've had over the past years has been eaten by the cost of gas," said Philippe Le Moigne, vice president of the local fishermen's association.

The government has refused to create subsidies to protect businesses from rising gas prices. But French President Nicolas Sarkozy turned up at the port of Le Guilvinec early this month with a plan to cap the price of gas for fishermen at $1.69 a gallon, allow them to adjust the price of fish according to gas costs and exempt fishermen from employment and social security taxes for six months.

The government has ruled out reducing its oil tax, which last year brought $28.2 billion into its coffers, but it's exploring other avenues.

In a recent meeting with oil producers and distributors, Finance Minister Christine Lagarde asked them to lower their margins to ease the burden on consumers. She has also urged the French to conserve by using their cars less.

"Christine Lagarde suggested that we take our bikes to travel rather than our cars," said Le Moigne. "Why not fish with pedal boats while we're at it!"