Smoke pours from boat as French and British fishermen clash top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Around 40 French vessels surrounded British fishing boats in international waters before attacking them with smoke bombs, maritime flares and rocks. The French now insist they were the victims of aggression even though they formed a blockade to stop British boats moving closer to the French coast in search of scallops. Stephane le Francois, who was aboard one of the French boats, said: "It was the British who rammed us. "It was very heated and very scary. Very scary for us because these boats are a bit like my family and the young lad who was on this boat, he's only 18-years-old, and he was in shock." It was the British who rammed us Stephane le Francois He continued: "It's scary to have a big boat bear down on a small boat, particularly when the big boat was intentionally accelerating its engines. “It didn't stop, it didn't reverse, and I was unable to help, so it was tough." Mr le Francois said he was angry about what happened but also defiant and pledged to join any further action against the British. His fellow fisherman Julien Hue also vowed to go out again if he hears the British boats are on horizon. Scallop fishermen clash in the English Channel He said: ”If ever they were to come back into our waters, then we will do the same again, but this time with larger numbers. We are now much more motivated. "We won't use weapons, unlike what some people are saying in England, but we will have other things on board that are a little different. A little less aggressive." Mr Hue said he is frustrated the French are being portrayed as the aggressor and insists it was the British fishermen who turned the situation more volatile. The so-called scallop wars centre on France’s environmental laws which state French vessels can only fish for scallops from October to May while their British rivals face no such restrictions. Scallop fishing boats collide during violent clashes at sea<doc-sep>LONDON — It’s been called the “scallop war” — a simmering rivalry that spilled out into the open again this week when French and British vessels clashed in the English Channel, French fishermen tossed what appeared to be smoke bombs at their rivals, and the British called on the Royal Navy for protection. Video footage on French state television and on social media showed about 35 small French fishing boats menacing five larger British vessels early Tuesday morning in a stretch of international waters that separates Britain from the rest of Europe, just off the northwest coast of France. At least one French boat slammed into the side of a Scottish vessel. A French official said no one had been injured in the clash, but called the encounter “extremely dangerous.” The French argue that British fishing vessels have an unfair advantage. The French government does not allow fishing for scallops to begin until October, in order to preserve the stock.<doc-sep>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 Authorities say nobody was injured in the incident The French are not allowed to catch scallops in summer, but the British can 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 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<doc-sep>LONDON — French fishermen have been accused of acting like “maritime gangsters” after skirmishing with their British counterparts over access to scallops in the English Channel. Mike Park, the chief executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association, said flares were launched at British vessels that were legally entitled to fish off the north coast of France. “We’re fishing legally and then we have bullies, the French, trying to push us back,” Park said. “It's piracy, they’re harassing our vessels." Video footage documenting the clash early Tuesday showed boats colliding in the English Channel. Authorities said 35 French boats and five British ones were involved in the confrontation. The dispute centers on access to scallops in waters off the French coast of Normandy, an area known for its rich stock of shellfish. The skirmishes occurred more than 12 nautical miles out to sea. French law prevents the country's boats from fishing for scallops during the summer months before Oct. 1, to help preserve the stocks, French maritime official Ingrid Parrot told The Associated Press. But British ships can still fish for the prized delicacies in international waters off the French coast. French fishermen say this is unfair and that the British are depleting the stocks. In recent years, British vessels more than 49 feet agreed not to enter the French fishing waters in exchange for an allocation of days at sea. However, negotiations to secure a deal have broken down. The Scottish scallop trawler Honeybourne 3, right, was involved in clashes with French fishermen early Tuesday. Andrew Matthews / PA/AP The U.K. government defended the presence of British vessels, saying they had “every right to be in those waters.” But Anthony Quesnel, a captain of one of the French fishing vessels involved in the confrontation told France 3 TV, "We're trying to get rid of the English, because if we let them get away with it, they will clear out the whole area," “The English come and massacre them,” added Franck Enault, a fisherman in the Normandy port of Trouville-sur-Mer. “They destroy them and it means we lose out for the season,” he said, explaining that 90 percent of his revenue comes from scallops. Quesnel said that "there will be no problems" if the British fishermen returned in October. But Park said the U.K. boats now faced being "harassed by maritime gangsters." Parrot, the French official, said that while no injuries were reported, the clashes were "very dangerous." She added that French maritime authorities "really hope things will calm down." With Brexit looming, it remains unclear how the U.K. will negotiate its fishing policies with other European nations after it leaves the union next March. The U.K.’s fishing industry accounts for less than 0.5 percent of its GDP but has nevertheless become a symbol of resistance to what many believe are overbearing E.U. regulations. A government proposal published last month said the U.K. should have full control over its waters and the ability to set its own quotas for U.K.-boats. But the European Union is unlikely to readily agree to such plans. British fishermen have long lamented the imbalance in the amount of fish caught by British and E.U. vessels in each other’s waters. According to U.K. government data, E.U. vessels caught 683,000 tons of fish in U.K. waters in 2015 — but British vessels caught only 111,000 in E.U. member states’ seas. This is not the first time that the U.K. has seen negotiations over fisheries turn into full-blown confrontations. During the 1970s, relations between the U.K. and Iceland rapidly deteriorated over access to cod stocks in the North Atlantic. At the height of the so-called Cod Wars, the British Royal Navy was deployed to protect U.K. trawlers as they fished in disputed waters. There were several reports of vessels ramming into other boats. In 1975, an Icelandic gunboat opened fire at unarmed British fishery support vessels. NATO was eventually called in to resolve the dispute.<doc-sep>
Scallop war: French and British boats clash in Channel Published 29 August 2018 media caption French and British fishing fleets have come to blows over when they can catch scallops French and British fishermen have clashed in the English Channel in an escalating battle over scallops. About 40 French boats tried to stop five larger British boats from fishing 12 nautical miles (22km) off the Normandy coast, in the Bay of Seine. Fishing boats collided and stones were thrown, but no-one was injured. UK boats are entitled to fish in the scallop-rich area, but their presence has angered the French, who accuse the British of depleting shellfish stocks. Now UK fishermen are demanding government protection, while the French bewail the loss of a "primary resource". What exactly happened? The French boats gathered overnight on Monday in protest against so-called British "pillaging". "The French went to contact the British to stop them working and they clashed with each other," said Dimitri Rogoff, who heads the Normandy fishing committee. The British were unable to match the local flotilla for numbers and were ultimately chased away. Two British boats, Golden Promise and Joanna C, returned to Brixham harbour with damaged windows. The crews alleged they had been were surrounded and had rocks and metal shackles thrown at them. A video on French media showed a Scottish scallop dredger, the Honeybourne 3, colliding with French vessels. A French local government spokesperson, Ingrid Parrot, said: "Things were thrown on both sides - from the English and from the French. Both parties were extremely tense." image copyright EVN/France Télévision image caption British boats are legally entitled to fish off the Normandy coast - but their French counterparts accuse them of "pillaging" Why has it all blown up now? Tension has rumbled for 15 years, but in the past five years a deal has prevailed - larger British boats stayed out of the area in exchange for more fishing rights. British boats can gather scallops year-round, but French law restricts the scallop fishing season to between 1 October and 15 May. "For the Brits, it's an open bar - they fish when they want, where they want, and as much as they want," Mr Rogoff complained. "We don't want to stop them from fishing, but they could at least wait until 1 October so that we can share. "Scallops are a flagship product for Normandy, a primary resource and a highly sensitive issue." How have the British reacted? Mike Park, chief executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association, described the clashing incident as "clear piracy". Speaking about the Scottish boat, he told BBC Scotland: "He's fully entitled to be there. UK vessels can enter that French zone, it's not illegal. "The Peterhead vessel is going about its business. The French vessels are probably attacking it." Appeals for calm were issued by Britain's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, which said some boats had been filmed manoeuvring dangerously. "We have raised the matter with the British government and asked for protection for our vessels, which are fishing legitimately," its chief executive, Barrie Deas, said. "The deeper issues behind the clashes should be settled by talking around the table, not on the high seas where people could be hurt."