A British fishing vessel has been controversially seized by France after a French captain accused its crew of fishing in their waters.
The boat, a Scottish vessel named the Star of Jura, was pulled aside by police off Calvados, on the Normandy coast, on Monday.
The vessel was then ordered into the port city of Le Havre on suspicion of catching undersized scallops.
Its captain, who has not been named, took his 19-metre scallop dredger into the port on Saturday under the watchful eye of a maritime police boat after an inspection uncovered an illegal catch, French authorities said.
A British fishing vessel has been controversially seized by France (file photo)
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French inspectors who boarded the Star of Jura discovered up to one tonne of undersized scallops in its 16-tonne haul – which had been hauled up just outside the Bay of Seine fishing zone.
But furious French fishermen have been left reeling by the maritime fracas.
One Norman fishing captain said: “We’re fed up. Not only do we not have the same standards, but they’re also coming to plunder the resource right in front of our homes!”
French authorities claim British vessels are prone to using dredging equipment which lets them catch scallops less than 11cm wide – the smallest size permitted by law.
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French authorities have seized the Star of Jura
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According to French rules, fishing smaller scallops stops the molluscs reproducing – with fishermen expected to return the undersized ones back into the sea.
Meanwhile, the French scallop-fishing season runs from October 1 to May 15 – but British boats are allowed to catch them all year round in international waters.
After the Scottish boat was diverted into the port – where it still sat on Tuesday night – more Norman fishermen were left raging at what they called a “very penalising difference in fishing rules”.
Speaking to French outlet LeParisien, another skipper – Pascal, from the Calvados region, lashed out at the British fishermen.
Another British vessel held at Le Havre for a similar scallop scuffle, pictured in 2021
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He said: “The English can fish for longer, with less restrictive standards and gear.
“And we have to watch without flinching as they plunder the deposits and threaten the resource for years to come!”
But the Star of Jura’s captain now faces a nervous wait.
The prosecutor’s office in Normandy is set to decide whether to take action against him and his boat following the police report.
He also now faces a fine of up to £12,500 – as well as the seizure of their entire £29,000-valued cargo, authorities told local media.