French and British fishermen. Fight.

[mr friendly guy]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-30/f ... s/10181398

French and British fishermen ram boats, hurl projectiles in 'scallop war' flare-up
Updated Thu at 10:36am


French and British fishermen in the scallop-rich bay of Seine have clashed over access to the shellfish, colliding boats and throwing projectiles.

Key points:
Authorities say nobody was injured in the incident
The French are not allowed to catch scallops in summer, but the British can
British Prime Minister Theresa May says she is working on a solution with France
Around 40 French vessels gathered to confront the British off the coast of Normandy. The ships rammed each other and authorities say crews from both sides hurled projectiles, however nobody was injured.

The French are irritated that British fishermen are allowed to harvest scallops, a key earner for France's Normandy region, throughout the year, while they are prevented from doing so during the summer reproduction season.

English fisherman Ciaran Cardell described the incident as like "a scene out of Vietnam".

"They just came out and surrounded our fleet, throwing petrol bombs. It was mental," said Mr Cardell.

The British were outnumbered and eventually left the area.

"This is well beyond legal behaviour. We have asked the British Government to intervene at a diplomatic level but also to provide protection for our vessels," Barrie Deas, the head of Britain's fishermen's organisations, told BBC radio.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she was working with France to resolve the issue.

"I think it is important that we see an amicable solution to what has happened in the channel, what we have seen between the ships," she said.

A crew member cleans marks from the stern of the Honeybourne 3, a Scottish scallop dredger, after the clash.
PHOTO: A Scottish scallop dredger docked at Shoreham in the south of England. (PA via AP: Andrew Matthews)
British Environment Minister Michael Gove said the UK boats were fishing legally and called on the French to ensure the area was "appropriately policed".

The head of Normandy's fishing organisation Dimitri Rogoff said the attack was spontaneous but acknowledged events spiralled out of control. He said he deplored the violence.

"There should not be any brawling, that could end badly," Mr Rogoff said.

"Our main UK counterpart has proposed we hold talks quickly in France, we'll receive a UK delegation in the coming days."

Scallops are one of just a few species whose catch is governed by national rather than European Union regulation.

After the dispute — dubbed the scallop wars — flared up five years ago, French and UK fishermen brokered yearly agreements that saw British fishermen limit their scallop dredging in exchange for some French scallop permits.

"But in the past two years, we feel our British partners do not want to negotiate, maybe because of Brexit," Mr Rogoff said.

"If everybody dredges for scallops all year round, soon there will be none left."

ABC/Reuters

[Captain Seafort]

Given the location, the obvious solution is to give sole fishing rights to the subjects of the Duke of Normandy.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Did the French get sick of complaining to their own government and take matters into their own hands? Because it's not as though the British ships were doing anything illegal.

[mr friendly guy]

Is it in international waters or within one of the belligerents EEZ?

[Enigma]

Is it in international waters or within one of the belligerents EEZ?

I'm looking at Google maps and unless I'm mistaken, to be in international waters the fishermen would have to fish 200miles\kilometers(?) past a nation's borders. There no way they're in international waters, AFAIK.

[Elheru Aran]

Is it in international waters or within one of the belligerents EEZ?

I'm looking at Google maps and unless I'm mistaken, to be in international waters the fishermen would have to fish 200miles\kilometers(?) past a nation's borders. There no way they're in international waters, AFAIK.

Yeah, they share a water boundary pretty much the whole length of the English Channel.



Normandy, incidentally, is more or less from Cherbourg to Le Havre, that stretch of shoreline anyway, so that's the area they're fighting over. Definitely within French territorial waters.

[Jub]

While I agree with the French on the summer scallop ban to protect stocks, the EU has a Common Fisheries Policy so the Brits are fully within their rights to be there until Brexit wraps up. As long as they don't go over quota they aren't breaking the law, unlike the Frenchmen who used force to drive them off.

[LadyTevar]

So... make the Brits stop fishing during the breeding season. End of Story.

[Gandalf]

Yeah... how do you make them do that?

[Jub]

So... make the Brits stop fishing during the breeding season. End of Story.

As long as the common fisheries area exists any EU nation can fish in the waters of any other only restricted by national and EU regulations and not subject to the regulations of the waters of the nation they are fishing in. There are sure to be some exceptions here and there but I doubt they apply in this case.

As such, from a legal standpoint, the French were in the wrong here. They should have lobbied for diplomatic pressure first instead of taking matters into their own hands.

[mr friendly guy]

Is it in international waters or within one of the belligerents EEZ?

I'm looking at Google maps and unless I'm mistaken, to be in international waters the fishermen would have to fish 200miles\kilometers(?) past a nation's borders. There no way they're in international waters, AFAIK.

It's actually 200 nautical miles. 1 nautical mile = 1.15 miles. EEZ may overlap, so by convention they split halfway through, although it's not a requirement, it's whatever the two sides agree to.

[LadyTevar]

Update... They are making the Brits obey the French Law.

UK and France Agree "Principles of Deal"

Britain and France have agreed on the principles of a deal that would end a dispute over scallop fishing in the English Channel.

No UK vessels will fish for scallops in the Bay of Seine during the period when the French are not allowed to catch.

A joint statement from the two governments said talks in London on Wednesday had been "constructive".

But a finalised deal hinges on a "reasonable compensation package" for smaller British boats, which lose out.

Around 40 French boats clashed with five UK crafts off the coast of northern France last week.

Talks were held between representatives of the UK and French fishing industries and Defra officials on Wednesday in an attempt to resolve tensions.

Just a snip of the full article, which goes more in-depth.