News

France-UK fishing row; captain of the seized boat will face trial

United Kingdom
France
Published Oct 30, 2021

Tridge summary

The captain of a UK fishing boat detained by French authorities amid a deepening post-Brexit row over access to territorial waters will go to trial next summer, prosecutors said Friday.

Original content

French prosecutor Cyrille Fournier said in a statement that the captain of the Cornelis Gert Jan scallop dredger will appear in court on August 11, 2022. French maritime police carried out a spot check on the boat on Thursday, which they say revealed it had gathered more than two tons of scallops in French waters without a proper license. The vessel was escorted to the northern port of Le Havre after its crew failed to prove it was allowed to fish in French territorial waters. The captain faces charges of "non-authorized fishing in French waters by a boat from outside the European Union," according to Fournier's statement. He could face a fine of up to € 75,000 ($ 87,000) as well as "administrative penalties." Scottish company Macduff Shellfish, which operated the vessel, has denied the charges and said the boat did have the appropriate licenses. Director Andrew Brown said the seizure appeared to be "politically motivated" and that the company had "not had this issue" before. The ...
Source: Dw
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