English Channel ‘scallop war’: French and British fishermen clashed boats and threw rocks in a row over scallops

Patrick Grafton-Green29 August 2018

Rocks were thrown and boats rammed as French and British fisherman clashed in the English Channel in a row over scallops.

Smoke bombs were also among numerous projectiles reportedly hurled at English and Scottish vessels as a long-running "scallop war" reignited in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Reportedly outnumbered by the French one to seven, the British boats were allegedly attacked by a rival flotilla that had gathered overnight in protest over fishing rights.

Dramatic footage of the incident broadcast by France 3 Normandie showed boats colliding as an object was thrown towards them.

Some of the British vessels are said to have later returned to UK harbours with signs of "criminal" damage.

The years-long dispute is over a scallop-rich area of the Channel that French fishermen are prevented from harvesting for a chunk of the year due to domestic environmental laws.

Fishermen hurled rocks at each other
France 3 Normandy

Dimitri Rogoff, head of a Normandy fishermen's association, said the violent scenes "demonstrate the exasperation of Normandy fishermen in a situation which persists and does not change".

"I urge everyone to avoid these situations that endanger men's lives," he said.

One of the British boats involved in the clash is said to be the Honeybourne 3, a Scottish scallop dredger.

The Scottish White Fish Producers Association condemned the "vigilante" French fishermen.

"Attacking our vessels is appalling," the group said.

Britain's National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations has appealed for calm, saying the dispute should be resolved through negotiations.

"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, told the BBC.

"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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