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DISPUTE OVER SCALLOP FISHING RIGHTS

Dispute over Scallop fishing rights

French and British fishermen have come to blows in a dispute over scallop fishing rights off the Normandy coast.

British boats are legally entitled to fish in the area all year, but the French fishermen are restricted by French law to fish only between 1 October and 15 May in a bid to conserve stocks.

The angry French fishermen believe this is unfair and make their fishing closure meaningless as a stock conservation tool because the British boats can fish all year.

The simmering tension resulted in French boats clashing with British scallopers this week in the Bay of Seine, 22km off the Normandy coast, which included reports of objects being thrown and boats even hitting each other. No injuries were reported.

Normandy fishing chief Dimitri Rogoff told the BBC: “For the Brits, it’s an open bar – they fish when they want, where they want, and as much as they want.”

Barrie Deas of the English based National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, said: “We have raised the matter with the British government and asked for protection for our vessels, which are fishing legitimately.

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

 

 

 

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