‘Clear piracy’ in scallop war
French skippers who attacked British boats as part of a so-called scallop war in the Channel boasted yesterday that they had ‘‘won a battle’’ and promised to step up their protests.
British fishermen returned to port with damaged vessels and described being ambushed in the early hours of Tuesday, local time, as French crews attempted to ram them and threw rocks and flares.
Michael Gove, the environment secretary, demanded that the French authorities ensure the disputed fishing grounds off the Normandy coast were policed to prevent a repeat of the ‘‘terrible scenes’’.
French fishermen were unrepentant. As well as taking further direct action, they said they were preparing to put pressure on their country’s shops to take British-caught scallops off shelves.
There have been tensions over the rights of British boats to fish for scallops in the Bay of Seine for more than a decade, with clashes two years ago. British boats can gather scallops year-round but French law restricts the fishing season to October 1 to May 15 to conserve stocks. The regulation is independent of the common fisheries policy and does not bind British boats.
In the past larger British boats have stayed out of the scallop-rich waters in exchange for more fishing rights. This year the French rejected that deal.
Jim Portus, chief executive of the South Western Fish Producers Organisation, which represents most of the British vessels in the clashes, accused the French skippers of ‘‘endangering life at sea by being unprofessional’’.
He said: ‘‘The French might look like heroes to the French coastal communities but it’s really awful to put other mariners in danger.’’ He said that about a dozen British vessels were involved, including a handful of small boats.
‘‘All the French, about 40 French vessels, were orchestrated to go and intercept the British fishermen,’’ he said.
Mike Park, chief executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association, called it ‘‘clear piracy’’.
Nathan Clark, skipper of the three-man Joanna C based in the Devon port of Brixham, said that stones and flares were thrown at his boat. ‘‘It was 3.30am in the dark and we were being pelted and rammed,’’ he said.
‘‘My nephew Callum was petrified, it’s his first year on the boats and he was scared for his life. There was even a French coastguard vessel there with an official taking our photos. They did nothing to stop what happened.’’ Ciaran Cardell, a fisherman from Cornwall, described ‘‘a scene out of Vietnam’’ as he was attacked by 15 French boats. ‘‘They surrounded our fleet, throwing petrol bombs,’’ he said. Brian Whittington, skipper of the trawler Golden Promise, vowed to return to the disputed fishing ground. ‘‘Maybe the Royal Navy could help us next time,’’ he said.
Three French vessels – Le Kevin II, La Rose des Vents and Le Sachal’eo – were damaged in clashes, according to fishermen in Normandy. They claimed that the small French vessels were rammed by bigger British boats.