“Scallop wars”, the conflict between Cornish fishermen and their French counterparts, appears to have been brought to a peaceful conclusion, after the French government agreed to compensate British boats for staying out of the Baie de Seine, reports The Guardian.
A joint statement released by the UK and French governments on Wednesday night said “constructive” talks involving representatives of their respective fishing industries had resulted in a deal.
Conservation measures aimed at restoring scallop stocks in the 40-mile stretch of waters off the Normandy coast will now be extended to British boats under 15-metres long, which were initially excluded.
In return, the French government will compensate the British boats, with details to be hammered out at further talks on Friday.
“There is agreement in principle for UK under-15-metre vessels to be included in the deal. This is subject to a reasonable compensation package, the details of which will be defined in Paris on Friday,” the statement said.
“In the meantime, there is a voluntary agreement for all UK vessels to respect the French closure period in the Baie de Seine.”
In a series of confrontations last week, French fishermen threw smoke bombs and hurled insults at British boats, which were heavily outnumbered. The government later raised the issue with Paris, urging the French government to police the waters more effectively.