British And French Battle Over Scallops

It has been well over a century since the British and French have battled over navigation of the narrow strip of water which separates these two countries however, fishermen from either side of the English Channel are now engaged in a dispute that European media outlets have dubbed, The Great Scallop War.

While local fishermen may share the anger and resentment of Napoleon and Admiral Nelson, the battle tactics of the French more closely resembles that of Paul Watson than of Napoleon.

According to the New York Times, the first blows of aggression were struck by the French on Monday, when their fishing boats surrounded British vessels and pelted them with catapults, stones, nuts and bolts to which the British of course responded by dropping trou and mooning the French.

At stake are lucrative scallop stocks the French claim are being poached by their British competitors. At the center of the debate are new French laws which limit fishing in the region to a five-month period ending on October 1.

British trawlers however, can catch scallops year-round.

According to Sky News, the French fishermen were attempting to close off the disputed waters to British boats, but were soon dispersed by French navy ships.

So, the Great Scallop War, and its moonings and stone throwings, will likely resume again in the near future until this issue is resolved.

Or perhaps it will continue until all the scallops are gone.

Or, perhaps even more likely, it will continue until after the scallops are gone, all the way through to the end of time itself.

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