Satellite will watch trawlers

Trawlers are to be electronically tagged to curb illegal catches and halt the chronic depletion of fish stocks, EU ministers agreed last night.

From June 1998 spy-in-the-sky satellite monitoring will be compulsory for boats over 24 metres fishing on the high seas and industrial trawlers. The tracking devices are deeply unpopular with fishermen but Britain backed the plan in the interests of conservation. Spain, whose fleet is most often accused of illegal fishing, opposed it but was out-voted. Officials sought big quota cuts to protect stocks.