Fishing row talks planned

The Scottish vessel was fishing for scallops

Fishing leaders from both sides of the Channel are meeting to discuss a dispute which led to a stand-off between a Scottish vessel and its French rivals.

The crew of the scallop dredger Philomena, owned by Tom Nicholson from Annan in Dumfriesshire, said it was surrounded by between eight and 10 French boats off the coast of Brittany.

They said that stones and scallop shells were thrown at them during the incident.

The stand-off - which lasted for 12 hours - began at 0500 BST on Saturday about 20 miles off the French coast.

Navy intervened

The French crab fishermen were protesting at the Scottish dredger's presence in French waters - even though it was outside a 12-mile exclusion zone.

Another Scottish vessel, the Emily Jane, and boats from Ireland and the Isle of Man then arrived to support the Philomena.

The French navy intervened to mediate between the two sides.

This led to the temporary creation of a zone set aside for French fishermen.

Formal meeting

It was agreed that they would be the only ones allowed to use a 24-mile by five-mile area until a formal meeting between the two sides was arranged.

That meeting is scheduled to take place on Friday in Brest.

The Scottish Scallop Association is leading the UK deputation, which also includes representatives from England, Ireland and the Isle of Man.

The two sides will attempt to thrash out an agreement to improve communication so that both fleets know which areas of the sea they are working.

A spokesman for the Scottish Scallop Association said this would enable its boats to sail around the areas being fished by the French.