We won’t stay out of scallop bay vow British fishermen
BRITISH fishermen yesterday vowed to return en masse to the scallop bay where they clashed with French rivals – who bragged that the ‘heavy artillery’ would await them.
The prospect of more violent clashes at sea grew as it emerged that French fisherman had shared links to websites selling slingshots and ball bearings.
Their agriculture minister Stephane Travert told British trawlermen to stay away from the Bay of Seine. Mr Travert said: ‘I asked my English counterpart to see to it that English fishermen keep out of the area...until we have the necessary talks and meetings to find a solution.’
But UK fisheries minister George Eustice refused, demanding the French authorities uphold the law. A meeting between scallop industry chiefs will be held next week to seek a compromise, the Government said. yesterday the patrol ship HMS Mersey of the Royal Navy’s Fisheries Protection Squadron finally arrived in the English Channel. It steamed in from Norway following criticism from trawlermen that they were left unprotected.
British skippers said they would return ‘soon’ because they are legally entitled to fish in the scallop-rich area off the coast of Normandy.
The French accuse them of plundering stocks of the valuable seafood. They have to wait until October 1 to fish the area under their own country’s rules, which are designed to conserve stocks.
Derek Meredith, owner of two boats from Brixham, Devon, said up to 40 boats could go back next week. He said: ‘We are definitely going back and there will be a lot of us. Safety in numbers.
‘We want to hear from the authorities that protection will be in place and we want the French to say this piracy won’t happen again, before we set off.’
Skipper Brian Whittington, 40, said he would not be deterred, despite Tuesday’s battle when around 40 French boats attacked his boat Golden Promise with shackles and rocks and fired flares across the bows. ‘We’ll go over there with the big boats this time and stick together,’ he said.
French fishermen vowed to form a ring of steel. One of them, Pierre Sophie wrote on Facebook: ‘War is not over! We’ll come back with more boats! We’ll have to get the heavy artillery out!’
Another Frenchman, Steph LF, posted crude boasts about Tuesday’s violence when he said he ‘ate some f****** British roast beef’.
Both governments have appealed for calm and urged the scallop industry to strike a deal.
In the past, the British have agreed to leave the area alone in August, September and October in return for some extra fishing days from France’s EU allocation. But this year the French tried to extend the agreement to cover vessels smaller than 15 metres – 49 feet – and the deal fell apart.
Mr Eustice spoke to his Paris counterpart on Thursday. A Whitehall source said yesterday: ‘We will not be telling British fishermen to stay away.’
Officials in Normandy ports fear the violence could be repeated elsewhere. Laurent Jacques, mayor of Le Treport, said: ‘Everyone is very angry.’