Board Irish trawlers and arrest skippers, say Scots f ishermen in row over Rockall
SCOTS skippers are demanding a tougher crackdown on Irish boats raiding the lucrative fishing grounds off the islet of Rockall.
They have issued a fresh call for the Scottish Government to impose ‘compliance’ over longpatrol held rights to the waters, 260 miles west of the Western Isles.
The demand is code for the ‘hauling over’ of Irish trawlers by boats of Marine Scotland, which is responsible for policing Scottish territorial waters.
This could put Holyrood and Dublin on course for a diplomatic incident, with the prospect of Irish captains being ‘detained’ and forced to sail to a Scottish port. Tensions which have simmered for years surfaced last month over the continued fishing in the area by trawlers based in Greencastle, Donegal.
Scots fishermen and the Scottish Government say these are Scottish territorial waters, with a 12-mile exclusion zone for foreign vessels.
The Irish dispute this, claiming they have fished there for decades without hindrance.
After a brief stand-off last month, Scottish fishermen say they are encouraged to see renewed activity in the area by Marine Scotland, which operates three marine protection vessels. The fishermen believe recent patrol boat activity is designed to gather evidence on which Irish ships are fishing there.
But sources admit there is growing ‘frustration’ among the skippers that the Irish trawlers are being allowed to continue fishing in the area.
Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, said: ‘Irish vessels have no legal right to fish within 12 nautical miles of Rockall. It is recognised in UK law as part of Scottish waters and hosts multi-million-pound haddock, monkfish and squid fisheries that are hugely important to our fleet.
‘Anything other than imposing compliance would set a dangerous precedent for near-shore fisheries and would be wholly unacceptable.’ Under the Marine Scotland Act of 2010, enforcement officers have the power to detain a vessel and its crew and require them to sail to a Scottish port. Here, the ship can be detained by the serving of a notice on the person in charge. The ship cannot move until the notice is withdrawn.
The Scottish Government was asked if any marine protection vessels are on patrol at Rockall but a spokesman declined to give their location for security reasons.
The Crown Office said it had not received any recent report of alleged illegal fishing around Rockall.
In Donegal, the Foyle Fishermen’s Co-op was reluctant to discuss the dispute but sources there insist the matter ‘is over’.
One local in the port of Greencastle said: ‘There was some trouble at the start of June but nothing has happened since. The trawlers are back out there all the time and see no reason for stopping. They have been fishing off Rockall for years.’
The Scottish Government said: ‘The First Minister and the Taoiseach reviewed recent intense engagement involving senior officials from both governments, and confirmed their commitment to constructive dialogue in protecting the interests of fishing industries and coastal communities.
‘This work will continue, reporting to senior Ministers. The two governments’ shared aim is to resolve differences over Rockall in a way which benefits both countries.’
The Irish foreign ministry was asked for comment but did not provide one.
‘These vessels have no legal right to fish there’