Spanish fishermen on Sunday set sail in a flotilla to protest an artificial reef created by Gibraltar that they said hampers their rights to fish, according to dpa. The Royal Gibraltar Police said the 38 fishing boats and seven to eight smaller boats were "corralled" after crossing from Spanish waters, the Press Association reported. They were in Gibraltar waters for about two hours before being "pushed out," police said, but the protest ended peacefully and there were no arrests. Spanish fishermen had warned Friday that they were considering the possibility of unilaterally removing the concrete blocks. A diplomatic row erupted over the creation of the artificial reef, comprising 70 concrete blocks, which Gibraltar said protects biodiversity. Spain said it damages the environment and disrupts fishing. Spain retaliated by imposing extra vehicle checks at its border with Gibraltar, causing long traffic delays. London threatened to take the border controls issue to European courts, but Madrid rejected its protest last week. Spain has long claimed sovereignty over Gibraltar, an outcrop of 6.8 square kilometres on its southernmost tip, which has been under British rule for three centuries. On Friday, British Prime Minister David Cameron raised the issue of Spain's additional checks in a phone call with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, saying they were "politically motivated and disproportionate." Barroso told Cameron the EU's executive was "continuously monitoring the situation" and would do everything it could to "ensure respect of EU law." Barroso also called on Britain and Spain to address the matter "in a way that is in line with their common membership in the EU."
