Latest news with #PhilParker
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fisherman caught in diplomatic row with France breaks silence
A British fishing skipper whose boat was seized by the French has accused them of threatening his livelihood. Phil Parker said the French maritime authorities had seized 200 whelk pots and robbed him of £6,000 of fishing income by impounding the Lady T for six days before releasing it for a bond of €30,000 (£25,200). He also faces a fine of €45,000 (£38,000) on top of the bond if found guilty by a French court of 'non-authorised fishing in French waters' in a boat from outside the EU. Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time, Mr Parker told The Telegraph that he intended to fight the case to the bitter end, claiming he had been only 288 metres into EU waters when his boat was stopped by the French. He has the backing of British fishing industry leaders, who have accused the Labour Government of selling out the British fleet, and said the treatment of the Lady T showed the French were not interested in partnership. The Lady T, based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, was intercepted by the Pluvier, a French navy ship, on May 22 for 'non-authorised fishing in French waters'. Four days later, the vessel, which was accused of fishing for whelks without an external waters licence, was allowed to return to Britain following the payment of the bond. Mr Parker said that he failed to realise that his boat's licence to fish in the waters where he was stopped had not been renewed when he set sail. But he said the French maritime authorities behaved vindictively by impounding his boat rather than letting him off with a warning. He said: 'I was bang in the middle of the English Channel. Thirty miles from the English coast and 28.9 miles from the French coast. But they stopped me and jumped on board, even though I was only 288 metres inside the 30-mile EU waters line. 'For some reason, the boat's licence to be in those waters had not been reissued, as it is automatically every year, so they said I was fishing illegally. 'I could understand it if I had been inside their 12-mile French waters limit, but it was in the middle of the English Channel. All I needed to be there legally was a bit of paper I thought we had.' The seizure of the Lady T came just days after Sir Keir Starmer granted EU fishermen access to British waters for another 12 years in a deal critics fear will damage the industry. One industry source said: 'Nobody across the fishing fleet sees any fairness in the deal. It's terrible news for the whole of the industry. We are less protected than they [the French] are under the new deal. And then they go and seize a boat like The Lady T. 'Yes, the boat should have had the right paperwork, but the French should have exercised some discretion, especially as it came just after the new deal was agreed. They should just have had some stern words with the skipper and sent him on his way, not seize the boat. 'You'd have thought the French, especially the French government, would have handled it differently given the circumstances of the deal. But that's not how the French seem to do things.' After being seized, the Lady T was taken to Boulogne, where it was held for six days. Its crew stayed in local accommodation, but Mr Parker remained with the boat, with no toilet or shower, to ensure its safety. 'I couldn't just leave the boat. Eventually, after six days, they got my €30,000 deposit and I got to sail back. I could still get fined on top of that, which I'm not very happy about,' he said. Mr Parker claims the French maritime authorities appear determined to put him and other fishermen like him out of business. 'It's not nice having this prosecution hanging over me,' he said. 'But I'm going to fight this.' Despite the uncertainty Mr Parker, who has a wife and six children, has no choice but to continue fishing, this time with the external waters licence he should have had when his boat was seized. This has now been issued, allowing him to set sail once again. But his task has not been made any easier by the seizure of 200 of his 800 whelk pots, which he will have to replace. These were taken despite Mr Philips maintaining that when his boat was stopped he only had a small number of whelks from the EU side of the Channel in them. 'I've been fishing for 14 years and I would never break the law, but for some reason that bit of paper, the licence we needed, hadn't come, so technically I was in the wrong,' he said. 'I thought I was simply doing the job I've done for years. You'd have thought they could have been a bit more lenient with me.' Following the seizure of the Lady T, Olivier Lepretre, the chairman of the regional fishing committee in northern France, suggested it had been intercepted in a tit-for-tat spat. The skipper and owner of Pierre D'Ambre, a French-registered vessel, were fined £40,000 at Newcastle magistrates' court in April after pleading guilty to bottom-trawling in a prohibited area of the offshore Brighton marine conservation zone. Mr Lepretre said last week: 'Until now, the French government has always favoured discussions to repression, as opposed to the British government which always imposes rules that are more and more restrictive, and more and more counterproductive for French fishermen. 'There comes a moment when you have to say: stop.' Another French official said at the time that the Lady T was 'looking for it' after entering exclusive French waters. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Fisherman caught in diplomatic row with France breaks silence
A British fishing skipper whose boat was seized by the French has accused them of threatening his livelihood. Phil Parker said the French maritime authorities had seized 200 whelk pots and robbed him of £6,000 of fishing income by impounding his boat The Lady T for six days before releasing it for a bond of €30,000 (£25,200). He also faces a fine of €45,000 Euros (£38,000) on top of the bond if found guilty by a French court of 'non-authorised fishing in French waters' in a non-EU boat. Speaking publicly about the incident for the first time, Mr Parker told The Telegraph he intended to fight the case to the bitter end, claiming he had been only 288 metres into EU waters when his boat was stopped by the French. He has the backing of British fishing industry leaders, who have accused the Labour Government of selling out the British fleet, and said the treatment of the Lady T showed the French were not interested in partnership. The Lady T, based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, was intercepted by the Pluvier, a French navy ship, on May 22 for 'non-authorised fishing in French waters'. Four days later, the vessel, which was accused of fishing for whelks without an External Waters Licence, was allowed to return to Britain following the payment of the 30,000 Euros bond. Mr Parker said he failed to realise that his boat's licence to fish in the waters where he was stopped had not been renewed when he set sail. But he said the French maritime authorities behaved vindictively by impounding his boat rather than letting him off with a warning.
USA Today
24-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Phil Parker gives new name to watch in Iowa football defensive back room
Phil Parker gives new name to watch in Iowa football defensive back room The Iowa Hawkeyes have never been afraid to be creative when it comes to seeking out what players can help them be the most effective at positions that may not be where they started. Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker has been around the game forever, constructing some of the top defenses in the country year after year, and has an eye for new talent. His newest project is seeking out defensive secondary talent in some unusual places. Parker turned to the offensive side of the ball to seek out talent and is in the process of converting Alex Mota, a wide receiver, into a defensive back, and brought up his practices unprovoked, which says a lot from the normally tight-lipped defensive coordinator. "Yeah. When he came over, obviously he had a wrist problem, and he was trying to practice with a club on his hand and stuff, so it was a little hard for him. "In the last two or three weeks, I see the progress, what he's done. He's made some really good plays. He's starting to get comfortable with what he has to do. It's a little different on offense. They give you a play, you have to do it, you have to adjust. "It's different. You know where you are going instead of reacting. I think he's doing a really good job and improving. It's going to take over the summer and camp to say, Hey, this kid has a chance to go out there and compete," Parker said about Mota making the switch. Alex Mota, a junior next fall, joined Iowa as a wide receiver with a 6-foot, 193 pound frame but has moved to defensive back since being with the program. A local product out of Marion High School in Marion, Iowa, Alex Mota was heralded as a three-star recruit ranked as the No. 34 athlete and No. 6 overall recruit from the state of Iowa in the class of 2023, per 247Sports. With openings and question marks in the secondary for Iowa, Mota's athleticism and ball skills could be a vital attribute that Phil Parker is seeking. As spring ball nears its conclusion and Iowa heads into summer camp and training camp, Alex Mota is a name to monitor for playing time in the secondary in 2025. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iowa football DB Sebastian Castro could cash in as a top NFL Draft sleeper
The long line of Iowa Hawkeyes who have gone from underrecruited high school athletes to slept on NFL draft picks that ultimately blossom into not just NFL starters, but Pro Bowlers and Super Bowl Champions is one rich with tradition. This year, Iowa will have a full crop of individuals expected to go in the later rounds of the draft who will be given the opportunity to become a focal point for the NFL team lucky enough to draft them. One of those players comes from Iowa's always talented defense. Advertisement Defensive back Sebastian Castro, despite his experience and impressive film, is viewed as a top sleeper pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by Pro Football Focus. Sebastian Castro spent five years with the Hawkeyes and during his time there he appeared in 53 games, which allowed him to see different schemes and looks from offenses across the Big Ten. With the Hawkeyes under Phil Parker's defense, Castro tallied 163 career total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 18 pass deflections, and 4 interceptions. He has a proven nose for the ball, comes from a defensive unit known for producing NFL talent, and is not afraid to play in the run game or pass game with his extreme versatility. Advertisement Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football DB Sebastian Castro a top NFL Draft sleeper
USA Today
17-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Iowa football DB Sebastian Castro could cash in as a top NFL Draft sleeper
Iowa football DB Sebastian Castro could cash in as a top NFL Draft sleeper The long line of Iowa Hawkeyes who have gone from underrecruited high school athletes to slept on NFL draft picks that ultimately blossom into not just NFL starters, but Pro Bowlers and Super Bowl Champions is one rich with tradition. This year, Iowa will have a full crop of individuals expected to go in the later rounds of the draft who will be given the opportunity to become a focal point for the NFL team lucky enough to draft them. One of those players comes from Iowa's always talented defense. Defensive back Sebastian Castro, despite his experience and impressive film, is viewed as a top sleeper pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by Pro Football Focus. Sebastian Castro spent five years with the Hawkeyes and during his time there he appeared in 53 games, which allowed him to see different schemes and looks from offenses across the Big Ten. With the Hawkeyes under Phil Parker's defense, Castro tallied 163 career total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 18 pass deflections, and 4 interceptions. He has a proven nose for the ball, comes from a defensive unit known for producing NFL talent, and is not afraid to play in the run game or pass game with his extreme versatility. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald
