I
Ian Cloke
Guest
A ROYAL Navy protection vessel is thought to be on stand-by as a fishing dispute between Bridlington fishermen and French trawlers flares up again.
A fleet of up to 12 French vessels has been concentrated along the Yorkshire Coast for the past two weeks. But now local fishermen have discovered to their horror that lobster pots and other fishing gear worth thousands of pounds have been damaged again. And they have put the blame squarely on the French.
Steve Cowan, chairman of the Bridlington Fishermen's Association, said they have tried to on several occasions to talk to the French skippers to warn them where the lobsters pots are located and have even fired flares. But their appeals have simply been ignored.
"The lobsters pots cost up to ?70 each and hundreds have been damaged or destroyed," he added. He also accused the French of operating inside the 12-mile limit during the hours of darkness when they could not be observed.
Dave McCandless of the North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee, agreed there was a problem and it was costing the local fishermen a lot of money. He said it was down to a conflict of fishing methods - the French with their towing nets and the Bridlington men with their static gear. However, he was in regular touch with the Marine Fishing Agency which has already carried out one or two patrols.
A spokesman for Defra, the UK fisheries department, said fishery protection vessels regularly patrol the North Sea coastline and the Marine Fishing Agency was there to broker a dialogue between any boats in dispute. But if a serious problem does develop Defra would investigate and take action if necessary. Although it has not been confirmed it is though a naval protection vessel may be ordered to the area.
This latest dispute is a re-run of the clashes that caused thousands of pounds worth of damage along the Yorkshire Coast during the summer months, involving the same French vessels. After those episodes an uneasy peace returned to the fishing grounds after the French trawlers, which come from the Boulogne area, pulled out.
Then a total of 14 French boats trawled across the rich shellfish grounds off the Humber Estuary causing the loss of 1,500 pots and damage estimated at over ?300,000.
Gary Hodgson, skipper of the boat the Magdalene Ann, and vice chairman of the Bridlington and Flamborough Fishermen's Society, warned at the time that the French boats would be back in the autumn when the crab season was at its height. He said: " The problem is that many of the foreign boats in that area are usually doing something that is illegal."
Although one French boat was fined over ?12,000 at Grimsby magistrates court after the July episode the Yorkshiremen were angry that it took several days for a fishery protection boat to arrive on the scene and are hoping they will be on the grounds a lot quicker this time.In the meantime, they have called on their local MP Greg Knight (Con. East Yorkshire) to plead their cause with the Government. They want Mr Knight to see if a protection vessel can be placed in the vicinity of the East Coast of Yorkshire for a prolonged period.
A fleet of up to 12 French vessels has been concentrated along the Yorkshire Coast for the past two weeks. But now local fishermen have discovered to their horror that lobster pots and other fishing gear worth thousands of pounds have been damaged again. And they have put the blame squarely on the French.
Steve Cowan, chairman of the Bridlington Fishermen's Association, said they have tried to on several occasions to talk to the French skippers to warn them where the lobsters pots are located and have even fired flares. But their appeals have simply been ignored.
"The lobsters pots cost up to ?70 each and hundreds have been damaged or destroyed," he added. He also accused the French of operating inside the 12-mile limit during the hours of darkness when they could not be observed.
Dave McCandless of the North Eastern Sea Fisheries Committee, agreed there was a problem and it was costing the local fishermen a lot of money. He said it was down to a conflict of fishing methods - the French with their towing nets and the Bridlington men with their static gear. However, he was in regular touch with the Marine Fishing Agency which has already carried out one or two patrols.
A spokesman for Defra, the UK fisheries department, said fishery protection vessels regularly patrol the North Sea coastline and the Marine Fishing Agency was there to broker a dialogue between any boats in dispute. But if a serious problem does develop Defra would investigate and take action if necessary. Although it has not been confirmed it is though a naval protection vessel may be ordered to the area.
This latest dispute is a re-run of the clashes that caused thousands of pounds worth of damage along the Yorkshire Coast during the summer months, involving the same French vessels. After those episodes an uneasy peace returned to the fishing grounds after the French trawlers, which come from the Boulogne area, pulled out.
Then a total of 14 French boats trawled across the rich shellfish grounds off the Humber Estuary causing the loss of 1,500 pots and damage estimated at over ?300,000.
Gary Hodgson, skipper of the boat the Magdalene Ann, and vice chairman of the Bridlington and Flamborough Fishermen's Society, warned at the time that the French boats would be back in the autumn when the crab season was at its height. He said: " The problem is that many of the foreign boats in that area are usually doing something that is illegal."
Although one French boat was fined over ?12,000 at Grimsby magistrates court after the July episode the Yorkshiremen were angry that it took several days for a fishery protection boat to arrive on the scene and are hoping they will be on the grounds a lot quicker this time.In the meantime, they have called on their local MP Greg Knight (Con. East Yorkshire) to plead their cause with the Government. They want Mr Knight to see if a protection vessel can be placed in the vicinity of the East Coast of Yorkshire for a prolonged period.