UK and France Strike Deal to End Scallop Wars

After clashes between rival boats in the English Channel over the fishing dispute, two countries finally reached the agreement.

“We renewed the 2017 agreements,” Gerard Romiti, chairman of the French national committee on fishing, told AFP following a day of talks in London. The joint statement released by the UK and French government said that the deal will allow only small English boats to fish in the area, limiting the number of scallops the UK could catch in the Channel’s waters.

“The previous agreement involving the UK 15-metre-and-over fleet will be renewed. In addition, there is an agreement in principle for UK under-15-metre vessels to be included in the deal,” the statement pointed out. 

READ MORE: France Ready to Deploy Warships in Scallop Wars With UK – Reports

The deal had to be renewed after the clashes between two nations’ fishing boats occurred in a Seine Bay not far from Normandy coastline – the area which is most famous for the population of scallops. Because the population is limited and needs time to refill, French fishing boats are time-framed by the government between May and October. However, these restrictions didn’t affect the English large vessels. 

French fishermen were enraged, attacking English boats last week, allegedly with smoke bombs and rocks, colliding with the ships. One of the videos showed five English trawlers ramming with over 40 French smaller boats, trying to push them out of the Bay of Sein. According to SkyNews, they were angry because large English boats could hoover up as many scallops in a single day as smaller fishermen would achieve in a month, and wanted fairer rules in place.

The joint statement claimed that the UK vessels will “respect the French closure period in the Baie de Seine” and aim to discuss the possible compensation package on Friday in Paris.