Fuel protests paralyze European fishing fleet

By Ben Harding

MADRID (Reuters) - Fishermen across Europe stayed in port on Friday in growing protests against rising fuel prices that paralyzed much of the continent's fishing fleet.

In Madrid, Spanish fishermen handed out 20 tonnes of free fish they said was practically worthless anyway because of rock bottom prices eroded by soaring costs.

Almost the entire Spanish fleet -- by far the biggest in Europe -- remained in port on Friday, said Javier Garat, the secretary general of Spanish fishermen's federation Cepesca.

"People can't take any more and are protesting because governments and the (European) Commission are not taking action," he told Reuters.

"In the next two weeks I'm convinced that there will be a widespread stoppage. I expect that the European fleet will be tied up for the next 15-20 days."

In France, protests that have already lasted two weeks, rumbled on as fishermen from several Normandy ports blockaded Le Havre in Brittany and others briefly blocked access to several fuel depots and refineries in the Bouches du Rhone area.

Truckers, farmers and fishermen have protested at the cost of oil, which rose back over $127 a barrel on Friday.

In Italy, thousands more fishermen went on strike, shutting down the industry on both its main coasts.

"If we don't get any results it will be open war. We are tired, we are tired of working 80 hour weeks without earning a penny," one fisherman told Italian television.

Portugal's fleet also remained in port.

"We have reached our limit, neither fishing companies nor fishermen have any income so if the country thinks it can do without fish, let it say so," Humberto Jorge, head of a regional association of fishing companies, told news agency Lusa.

The Portuguese, some of Europe's biggest fish eaters, face shortages of 50 tonnes of fish at supermarkets and at restaurants for every day the fleet stays in port.

FISH SHORTAGES

However supermarkets are unlikely to be badly affected in the short term because 70 percent of fish consumed within the EU comes from outside the area. Independent fishmongers will be worse off.

"There is still fish in the ports, there is still fish in stock at the fish shops, but there will be shortages in four or five days," said Madrid fishmonger Angel Gonzalez.