British vessels under 15 metres will continue to be able to take scallops from the waters but larger boats will stop fishing in the Baie de Seine from midnight on Monday until the end of 30 October, DEFRA confirmed.
The more than a decade-long disagreement came to a head in the early hours of 28 August as French fishermen allegedly threw smoke bombs, rocks and other projectiles at English and Scottish boats in the scallop-rich bay off the Normandy coast.
French fishermen accused the British of depleting stocks and wanted them to face the same rules which mean all French boats are banned from fishing for the molluscs during the summer to conserve stocks.
Nearly three weeks later, the neighbouring countries have come to an agreement, despite UK industry leaders walking away from talks with their continental counterparts last Thursday.
British fisheries minister George Eustice said: Today UK and French scallop industry representatives reached an agreement on scallop fishing in the Bay de Seine.
French fishermen accused the British of depleting stocks and wanted them to face the same rules which mean all French boats are banned from fishing for the molluscs during the summer to conserve stocks. This means our over-15m fleet will get the days at sea it wanted, while allowing the under-15m fleet to continue fishing in the area.
I commend the UK fishing industry for its patience throughout negotiations and welcome this pragmatic outcome.