French fishermen have been caught apparently “fibbing” on applications to work in British waters after Brexit, The Telegraph has learned.
UK officials have used satellite data to directly contradict claims by a number of French fishermen that they had previously fished off the coast of Britain.
Under the terms of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, EU fishing vessels must show that they operated in British waters between 2012 and 2016 before they can be granted a licence.
France has argued that many of its small trawlers, mostly under 12 metres in length, were not equipped with GPS trackers and could not easily prove their whereabouts.
Paris has accused Britain and the Channel Islands of unfairly rejecting half the vessels applying to fish in UK and Jersey waters.
But the UK insists it is entitled to ask for the evidence it wants, with officials suspecting that some of the French boats never fished in British waters and are seeking to take advantage of post-Brexit disruption.
To support their applications, some of the vessels from France have provided UK officials with “single data points” as evidence that they were working in the right area on a specific date.
However, UK officials believe they have disproved a number of these claims after buying commercial satellite data called AIS, used by port authorities and keeps a record of where boats have been. A number of the claims made by French fishermen were “immediately shown to be false”, according to one Whitehall source.
“Some of the fishing boats were caught fibbing,” the source said. “They said they were in a certain place at a certain time, but the data showed that wasn’t the case. Some of the applications were then withdrawn.”
So far, 16 small French vessels out of 47 applications have been licensed to fish in Britain’s six to 12-mile zone since the negotiations began a month ago.
France and the European Commission jointly agreed to withdraw 17 applications because the evidence to establish whether the vessels had historical rights to access the UK’s coastal waters was “considered poor”, according to an EU official.
A number of the applications were withdrawn after UK officials were able to contradict the evidence using the AIS data, it is understood. Others are still under consideration, with European Commission and French officials thought to be using other methods, including mobile phone and sales records, to try to prove their case.
“It may be that some of these applications were made in genuine error, rather than a deliberate attempt to mislead,” another UK official said.
“This is an ongoing process – for the vessels which did not have appropriate supporting evidence, we have made it clear that our door remains open. We are very happy to process any applications supported by the evidence.”
Olivier Lepretre, the head of the Hauts-de-France fishing council, insisted the withdrawn applications were not a “story of fibs”.
“It is certainly hard to prove, because in 2012 boats did not have electronic trackers,” he told the Telegraph. “That is the only concern – it is not a story of fibs. In 2012, it was not mandatory for the entire European fleet to be equipped with such trackers.”
Urging the UK Government to bend the rules for vessels without GPS logs, Mr Lepretre said: “You just have to be honest and look at the size of the boats and the geographical situation of Boulogne in relation to British waters – it speaks for itself.”
On Monday night, France paused threats to spark a cross-Channel trade war to allow for UK and EU officials to continue their “boat by boat” investigation into whether more vessels can be licensed.
The European Commission, which negotiates on behalf of the bloc, believes last-gasp discussions helped the two sides “chart a way forward on several aspects”.
It is understood that Jersey agreed to accelerate its licences processes for a number of French vessels that had previously struggled to secure a permit.
“The meeting allowed us to chart the way forward on several aspects – it was concluded to resume again on Tuesday, to keep the positive dynamics of the discussions,” a commission spokesman said of Monday night’s negotiations. “Further meetings are planned for later in the week.”
Downing Street insists the UK’s position on the unlicensed vessels remains unchanged, and its officials are ready to grant permits if new evidence becomes available.
France has said it will hold off on threats to disrupt cross-Channel trade and block British fishermen from its ports until at least Thursday when Lord Frost, the Brexit minister, travels to Paris for talks with Clement Beaune, the French Europe minister.
Not fibbing, just a little fishy
Can’t wait to get an article everytime a fisherman breach a law in the Channel.
Oh look, our old friend the tumbleweed returns.
*no shit*
I think everyone knew this was going on right? This is why there’s a problem. Everything points towards a minority of fishermen trying to apply for licences that they do not have a right to.
It wouldn’t surprise me if this is true. France has now less catch than it used to have, so that puts pressure on the fishing communities to find areas to find a way to increase their yield.
Saying you have fished in an area historically would certainly help.
Like we didn’t see this coming.
Well no shit. This is brand new information and I for one am shocked.
[deleted]
Can’t wait to see the French government come down hard on these fraudsters.
Or threaten to sanction the UK for daring to check their stories out. Either way.
1) AIS data isn’t “commercial sattelite data”. AIS data is what you see on shipfinder. It’s a radio transponder to show the position of a boat to other boats.
2) UK insisting on AIS is overkill. Most boats didn’t have/still don’t have an AIS transponder (allthough, they are now so cheap, you’ld be stupid to sail without one). “Provide AIS data” wasn’t in the agreemenet, there are other ways to show historical data
– GPS tracks, (but my gps does store historical data, i can save the last track but it gets exported as csv).
– log books: these are in my view the key proof. Log books have substantial legal value. It’s the first thing authorities ask for when they board. And now all of a sudden these can’t be used?
– others: a Jersey fuel bill, a Guernsey repair bill, catch landing record,…
The dogmatic insistence by the UK on AIS records is far outside of the intention of the treaty
3) what is wrong with “single point data?” The agreement isn’t “a licence for boats why *regularly* fished the waters” it’s for boats who can show a history of having fished there, even if it is just once.
4) the boats with AIS records are the big boys. One of those vessels catches more than the smaller applicants. So refusing those smaller permits will have little effect on the total catch. So the only reason for refusal is out of principle/spite
5) false records/data that doesn’t correlate with AIS: this is not a refusal based on “you weren’t there”, but “your application said you were fishing north of the island on the 18th at 0500, our data shows you were 10 miles south, application denied”.
As always, the truth will be somewhere in the middle: a few boats will have “embellished” a bit their data, but France has rule of law as well, and given the animosity, it is clear that UK is being overly strict in the interpretation of the agreement.
11 comments
French fishermen have been caught apparently “fibbing” on applications to work in British waters after Brexit, The Telegraph has learned.
UK officials have used satellite data to directly contradict claims by a number of French fishermen that they had previously fished off the coast of Britain.
Under the terms of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, EU fishing vessels must show that they operated in British waters between 2012 and 2016 before they can be granted a licence.
France has argued that many of its small trawlers, mostly under 12 metres in length, were not equipped with GPS trackers and could not easily prove their whereabouts.
Paris has accused Britain and the Channel Islands of unfairly rejecting half the vessels applying to fish in UK and Jersey waters.
But the UK insists it is entitled to ask for the evidence it wants, with officials suspecting that some of the French boats never fished in British waters and are seeking to take advantage of post-Brexit disruption.
To support their applications, some of the vessels from France have provided UK officials with “single data points” as evidence that they were working in the right area on a specific date.
However, UK officials believe they have disproved a number of these claims after buying commercial satellite data called AIS, used by port authorities and keeps a record of where boats have been. A number of the claims made by French fishermen were “immediately shown to be false”, according to one Whitehall source.
“Some of the fishing boats were caught fibbing,” the source said. “They said they were in a certain place at a certain time, but the data showed that wasn’t the case. Some of the applications were then withdrawn.”
So far, 16 small French vessels out of 47 applications have been licensed to fish in Britain’s six to 12-mile zone since the negotiations began a month ago.
France and the European Commission jointly agreed to withdraw 17 applications because the evidence to establish whether the vessels had historical rights to access the UK’s coastal waters was “considered poor”, according to an EU official.
A number of the applications were withdrawn after UK officials were able to contradict the evidence using the AIS data, it is understood. Others are still under consideration, with European Commission and French officials thought to be using other methods, including mobile phone and sales records, to try to prove their case.
“It may be that some of these applications were made in genuine error, rather than a deliberate attempt to mislead,” another UK official said.
“This is an ongoing process – for the vessels which did not have appropriate supporting evidence, we have made it clear that our door remains open. We are very happy to process any applications supported by the evidence.”
Olivier Lepretre, the head of the Hauts-de-France fishing council, insisted the withdrawn applications were not a “story of fibs”.
“It is certainly hard to prove, because in 2012 boats did not have electronic trackers,” he told the Telegraph. “That is the only concern – it is not a story of fibs. In 2012, it was not mandatory for the entire European fleet to be equipped with such trackers.”
Urging the UK Government to bend the rules for vessels without GPS logs, Mr Lepretre said: “You just have to be honest and look at the size of the boats and the geographical situation of Boulogne in relation to British waters – it speaks for itself.”
On Monday night, France paused threats to spark a cross-Channel trade war to allow for UK and EU officials to continue their “boat by boat” investigation into whether more vessels can be licensed.
The European Commission, which negotiates on behalf of the bloc, believes last-gasp discussions helped the two sides “chart a way forward on several aspects”.
It is understood that Jersey agreed to accelerate its licences processes for a number of French vessels that had previously struggled to secure a permit.
“The meeting allowed us to chart the way forward on several aspects – it was concluded to resume again on Tuesday, to keep the positive dynamics of the discussions,” a commission spokesman said of Monday night’s negotiations. “Further meetings are planned for later in the week.”
Downing Street insists the UK’s position on the unlicensed vessels remains unchanged, and its officials are ready to grant permits if new evidence becomes available.
France has said it will hold off on threats to disrupt cross-Channel trade and block British fishermen from its ports until at least Thursday when Lord Frost, the Brexit minister, travels to Paris for talks with Clement Beaune, the French Europe minister.
Not fibbing, just a little fishy
Can’t wait to get an article everytime a fisherman breach a law in the Channel.
Oh look, our old friend the tumbleweed returns.
*no shit*
I think everyone knew this was going on right? This is why there’s a problem. Everything points towards a minority of fishermen trying to apply for licences that they do not have a right to.
It wouldn’t surprise me if this is true. France has now less catch than it used to have, so that puts pressure on the fishing communities to find areas to find a way to increase their yield.
Saying you have fished in an area historically would certainly help.
Like we didn’t see this coming.
Well no shit. This is brand new information and I for one am shocked.
[deleted]
Can’t wait to see the French government come down hard on these fraudsters.
Or threaten to sanction the UK for daring to check their stories out. Either way.
1) AIS data isn’t “commercial sattelite data”. AIS data is what you see on shipfinder. It’s a radio transponder to show the position of a boat to other boats.
2) UK insisting on AIS is overkill. Most boats didn’t have/still don’t have an AIS transponder (allthough, they are now so cheap, you’ld be stupid to sail without one). “Provide AIS data” wasn’t in the agreemenet, there are other ways to show historical data
– GPS tracks, (but my gps does store historical data, i can save the last track but it gets exported as csv).
– log books: these are in my view the key proof. Log books have substantial legal value. It’s the first thing authorities ask for when they board. And now all of a sudden these can’t be used?
– others: a Jersey fuel bill, a Guernsey repair bill, catch landing record,…
The dogmatic insistence by the UK on AIS records is far outside of the intention of the treaty
3) what is wrong with “single point data?” The agreement isn’t “a licence for boats why *regularly* fished the waters” it’s for boats who can show a history of having fished there, even if it is just once.
4) the boats with AIS records are the big boys. One of those vessels catches more than the smaller applicants. So refusing those smaller permits will have little effect on the total catch. So the only reason for refusal is out of principle/spite
5) false records/data that doesn’t correlate with AIS: this is not a refusal based on “you weren’t there”, but “your application said you were fishing north of the island on the 18th at 0500, our data shows you were 10 miles south, application denied”.
As always, the truth will be somewhere in the middle: a few boats will have “embellished” a bit their data, but France has rule of law as well, and given the animosity, it is clear that UK is being overly strict in the interpretation of the agreement.