French trawlers reignite ‘scallop war’ as tensions rise over Brexit negotiations
FRENCH fishermen reignited a “scallop war” yesterday after surrounding rival British boats and pelting them with stones in a row exacerbated by Brexit negotiations.
British fishermen urged the Government to intervene, some demanding Navy protection, after French fishermen, furious at scallops being taken without permission, trapped them.
“We estimate that there were 35 French boats and five British boats,” said the regional French maritime authority in Normandy. “The French went to meet the British to stop them working,” said Dimitri Rogoff, president of the regional Normandy fishing committee. “They clashed. Stones were thrown.” He said the British left and there were no injuries or damage.
French fishermen are not allowed to harvest scallops from the seabed between Oct 1 and May 15 beyond a 12-mile exclusion zone off their coast under national rules designed to allow scallops to breed and replenish. British fishermen have no such restrictions.
In previous years, a gentlemen’s agreement has allowed both sides to harvest scallops. This year, however, no agreement was in place and, according to the French fishermen, the British have for the past week been stripping the scallop beds, leaving nothing for them when they are eventually allowed to fish.
While Mr Rogoff admitted the British were “perfectly entitled to fish where they were fishing”, he added: “It was a spontaneous act of anger by fishermen fed up with the British fishing in a zone where the French have fished.”
Barrie Deas, of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, said: “Throwing stones and firing flares is not only dangerous but illegal and there will be consequences.”
He added that he “wouldn’t be surprised if Brexit is in the back of French minds”.
He said: “The French need access to British fishing waters and it is not clear they will be able to after Brexit.”
British and French fishermen previously clashed over rights to scallops in 2012, when violence erupted in the English Channel off the Baie de Seine.