Environment secretary says ‘his heart goes out’ to Britons whose boats were rammed

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Michael Gove has said his “heart goes out” to the British scallop fishermen involved in clashes with French rivals earlier this week, and called on Paris to intervene.

Stones were thrown and boats rammed on Tuesday morning, in the latest of a series of incidents dubbed “scallop wars”, as French boats try to protect stocks of the shellfish.

“My heart goes out to the British fishermen who were caught up in the terrible scenes that we saw happen earlier this week,” the environment secretary said.

Fishermen warn against carve-up of UK waters in Brexit deal Read more

“They were fishing entirely legally, they had every right to be in those waters and we talked to the French authorities in order to ensure that we have a protocol.

“These are French waters – it’s the responsibility of the French to ensure that those who have a legal right to fish can continue to fish uninterrupted.”

Government sources said the British ambassador to France, Ed Llewellyn, had formally raised the issue with officials in Paris, and the agriculture minister, George Eustice, would hold talks with his French counterpart.

Fishing in the area is strictly limited because of conservation measures aimed at replenishing scallop stocks, but smaller boats are allowed to operate.

The skirmishes took place more than 12 nautical miles out to sea. Under EU law, the British are not allowed to fish within 12 miles of the French coast, but smaller boats can dredge for scallops in the 40-mile stretch of international waters known as the Baie de Seine – while the French have access only from November to February.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A crew member cleans marks from the stern of the Honeybourne III, a Scottish scallop dredger, after the clashes. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA

Sheryll Murray, the Conservative MP for South East Cornwall, had earlier called on Gove to act, saying the French fishermen “just took the law into their own hands”.

“The French authorities have the responsibility for enforcing the rules on the French side of the median line, which is the line drawn down the centre of the English Channel, but there seems to be no evidence whatsoever that the French authorities took any action,” she told ITV.

French fishermen threw smoke bombs and hurled insults at British rivals. British boats were heavily outnumbered, according to Ingrid Parot, a maritime official, and were eventually chased from the scallop-rich waters.

“The French went to contact the British to stop them working and they clashed with each other. Apparently there was stone-throwing, but no injuries,” said the Normandy fishing chief, Dimitri Rogoff.

Rogoff said about 40 French boats had gathered overnight in protest at British “pillaging” of the scallop supply.

Footage from local TV channel France 3 Normandie showed boats being rammed and holes in three vessels.

Barrie Deas, the chief executive of Britain’s National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, told Agence France-Presse: “We are advising all parties to be calm as from the video clips some vessels are manoeuvring very dangerously.”

“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.”

Britain’s scallop fishing industry is worth about £120m a year and supports more than 1,200 jobs. Tensions have been high between British and French fishermen over the issue for about 15 years.