French and English fishermen demonstrating to curtail seine netting held a symbolic Mid-Channel meeting earlier this week.
A group of fishing vessels from the north of France and the south of England met on the Bassurelle Bank, midway between Boulogne and Folkestone, to establish their support for a vote that will be held in the European Parliament on whether or not to outlaw seine netting within 12-mile coastal waters.
The event was organised by Greenpeace, Bloom and French small-scale fishing organisation Pleine Mer, with demonstrations also taking place on shore as well as on the Bassurelle Bank.
Seine netting in the Channel has become a significant bone of contention between French fishermen and particularly the Dutch operators who run vessels under a number of flags.
