British scallop fishermen arrested

A BRITISH trawler has been arrested at sea and forced to berth at Ouistreham after being caught with 17 tonnes of illegally-caught scallops on board.

The Van Dijck was the third British fishing boat arrested in five months. The skipper was accused of fishing in French waters and switching off the location-finder to hide his position. He was forced to jettison the scallops, which would be worth more than €100,000 on the French quayside.

The court at Ouistreham set €50,000 bail before the vessel could head back to sea. The skipper could face a fine of up to €100,000 and a year in jail.

French fishermen have strict rules on scallop fishing to conserve and rebuild stocks and scallop numbers are 50% higher this year.

When the Baie de Seine fishery opened in October there were violent confrontations between British and French crews. It came after two British vessels were arrested in September.

A Scottish boat was arrested with 14 tonnes of scallops 14km off Caen. Its case was heard yesterday in the court at Caen with a verdict and sentence due on January 16.

The third British vessel, the Tjeerd Jacoba, has been tied up on the quay at Ranville since being arrested at the end of September with eight tonnes of scallops on board.

The Van Dijck was stopped by the patrol vessel Flamant off Port-en-Bessin (Calvados) within French coastal waters.

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Photo: Jeremy Keith