British boat captain detained by France to face court

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.

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.

Why did France seize the British boat?

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."

What's been the response from the UK?

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 UK government denounced the seizure and has summoned France's ambassador to London to explain Paris' actions later on Friday.

Environment Secretary George Eustice told the BBC that London reserved the right to board French vessels in retaliation.

"Obviously it's always open to us to always increase the enforcement that we do on French vessels, to board more of them if that's what they're doing to our vessels." 

Why are France and Britain at loggerheads?

The two countries have fallen out over licensing rules for EU boats wanting to operate in waters around Britain and the particularly Channel Islands.

French fishermen accuse officials in Britain as well as its protectorate of Jersey of using Brexit as an excuse to keep many from securing licenses for waters they say they have plied for years.

London has denied the claims and has denounced plans by France to ban UK boats from unloading their catches at French ports starting November 2.

Paris could also impose time-consuming customs and sanitary checks on all products brought to France from Britain.

London has promised "an appropriate and calibrated response" to the French measures, since the British fishing industry depends on French ports as a gateway to Europe, its main export market.

The European Commission, meanwhile, has sided with France in the dispute.

EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton said he understood France's position and said the "support of the European Commission is there and it always has been from the start."

mm/rt (AFP, Reuters)