THE Naval Service patrol ship LE Ciara was maintaining a presence 50 miles south of the Fastnet Rock last night following the alleged ramming of a British registered gillnetter by a Spanish stern trawler in Irish territorial waters.
Damage was not reported to be serious and there were no injuries, but a group of British vessels said that they had been "surrounded" by a large fleet of Spanish ships.
The 50 foot Holly Jane, based in Newlyn, Cornwall, reported the incident at about 1 p.m. yesterday. It said that it had set its gillnetting gear and had given its position on VHF radio to the Spanish fleet in the area. A Spanish registered steel stern trawler over 140 feet long then rammed the smaller wooden vessel's bow - and the Holly Jane sustained damage above the waterline, the UK ship reported.
Mr Mike Townsend, of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation, told The Irish Times that the Holly Jane was continuing to stand by its gear but if the weather deteriorated it would be forced to return to port without the equipment. Other Cornish gillnetters had told him that they were unable to fish at all due to the intimidatory presence of the Spaniards.
"We are very pleased that the Irish authorities have responded and that the Naval Service patrol ship has been sent," Mr Townsend said. "It is so tense that it could turn very nasty. It is unfortunate that our Irish colleagues - have to live with this type of situation all the time. It is, purely competition for fish and conflicts over different types, of fishing gear."
The British Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food confirmed that it had requested Irish naval assistance. The Defence Forces dress Office said that the LE Ciara would take statements from the British crew and would continue to monitor the situation.
Later last night, the LE Ciara reported that the Spanish fleet had dispersed and Naval crew were due to board several of the vessels to find out which one was involved in the incident. The vessel reported to have been responsible carried no registration number and its name was not Visible, the skipper of the Holly Jane told a boarding party from the LE Ciara.
During the spring hake fishery, conflicts over gear have been a regular occurrence but the Naval Service is not empowered to act outside the 12 mile territorial limit.
Mr Tom Hassett, secretary of the IS&WFO, said that the Government and the EU could no longer continue with their laissez faire policies.
