Storm brews between fishermen in ‘scallop war’

British fishermen have called for protection from the Royal Navy after a long-running high-seas dispute with French mariners over access to scallops in international waters boiled over into skirmishes involving boats ramming one another, objects being thrown, and fireworks launched.

Around 35 French fishing boats squared off with five British vessels about 22 kilometers from the north coast of France on Tuesday in the latest round of a dispute dubbed the “scallop war”.

The French crews are furious that their government prohibits them from harvesting the shellfish between May 16 and Sept 30 while British crews land scallops yearround.

The Associated Press quoted French maritime official Ingrid Parrot as saying the confrontation, which was filmed by a French TV crew, was “very dangerous” and that French authorities “really hope things will calm down”.

Sky News said French fisherman threw smoke bombs during the row.

“The French went to contact the British to stop them working and they clashed with each other,” Sky quoted Normandy fishing chief Dimitri Rogoff as saying. “Apparently, there was stone-throwing, but no injuries ... For the Brits, it’s an open bar, they fish when they want, where they want, and as much as they want. We don’t want to stop them from fishing, but they could at least wait until 1 October, so that we can share.”

The Guardian newspaper noted that, under European Union law, the British can dredge for scallops in the 64-kilometer stretch of international water where the dispute happened, which is known as the Baie de Seine.

Barrie Deas, chief executive of Britain’s National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, told Agence FrancePresse: “We are advising all parties to be calm as, from the video clips, some vessels are maneuvering very dangerously.”

He said his federation has “raised the matter with the British government and asked for protection for our vessels”.

“The deeper issues behind the clashes should be settled by talking around the table, not on the high seas, where people could be hurt,” Deas added.

The Daily Mail said a boat owner from Brixham, in the English county of Devon, counted 40 boats in the altercation.

“One boat got petrol bombed, others had windows smashed. I can’t believe that someone wasn’t killed,” the boat-owner said.

The deeper issues behind the clashes should be settled by talking around the table ...”

Barrie Deas,