Angry French Fisherman

On the wire from Oceana (Europe)...

Just a few weeks into our summer-long expedition, the crew of Oceana's Ranger experienced an intense day at sea....At the time of the incident we had filmed, photographed and recorded the positions and catch of about 80 French illegal driftnetters...Seven ships coordinated their attack by surrounding the Ranger in the Mediterranean Sea. After immobilizing our propellers, they began to hurl objects of all kind - including poisonous fish, flares and 4-letter words - and demanding the photos and videos we had collected. They even went so far as dropping their pants and making obscene gestures before attempting to ram our ship. Our crew refused to hand over the evidence and we issued a "May Day" call to the French authorities. Shortly thereafter, the Coast Guard sent two helicopters onto the scene, causing the seven ships to disperse before anyone got hurt or the ship incurred any more damage. The illegal driftnetters later had the nerve to claim that Oceana prompted the encounter and that we were the aggressive ones...Although the attack was traumatic, the fishermen ultimately aided our conservation efforts by bringing this issue into the mainstream consciousness. London's Daily Telegraph mentioned the incident and cited it as one of several reasons for the European Union calling for a ban on bluefin tuna fishing. The article reads,"Pressure for a ban has been mounting after rampant over-fishing by France, Spain and Italy and after French boats illegally drift-netting for tuna clashed with conservationists documenting their activities in the Mediterranean."

There is also video of the encounter here.