“We renewed the 2017 agreements,” Gerard Romiti, chairman of the French national committee on fishing, told AFP following a day of talks in London. The joint statement released by the UK and French government said that the deal will allow only small English boats to fish in the area, limiting the number of scallops the UK could catch in the Channel’s waters.
“The previous agreement involving the UK 15-metre-and-over fleet will be renewed. In addition, there is an agreement in principle for UK under-15-metre vessels to be included in the deal,” the statement pointed out.
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The deal had to be renewed after the clashes between two nations’ fishing boats occurred in a Seine Bay not far from Normandy coastline – the area which is most famous for the population of scallops. Because the population is limited and needs time to refill, French fishing boats are time-framed by the government between May and October. However, these restrictions didn’t affect the English large vessels.
The joint statement claimed that the UK vessels will “respect the French closure period in the Baie de Seine” and aim to discuss the possible compensation package on Friday in Paris.
