BC FISH CANADA EU / EU accuses Canada of piracy over Atlantic incidents

ST JOHN'S, Newfoundland The European Union accused Canada of fisheries mismanagement and international piracy on Monday after Canadian authorities acted against Spanish vessels in the north Atlantic off the coast of Newfoundland.

EU Fisheries Commissioner Emma Bonino said the member states were meeting in Brussels Monday after Canadian vessels cut the nets of one Spanish trawler and attempted to board another two in disputed waters outside its 200 nautical mile limit on Sunday.

She described Canada's action as intolerable. "The Canadian government is using force illegally. It's a real act of international piracy," Bonino said in an interview with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Violence and force are forbidden. I do believe you are going too far," she said. "The Union will not play the scapegoat for the mismanagement of fisheries by the Canadian authorities."