Spain Does Not Have To Compensate France On “Albacore Tuna War”ff

The Spanish Supreme Court has confirmed that Spain does not have to compensate France for the damages caused by Spanish tuna fishing boats to vessels carrying French flag during the so called Bonito del Norte war (Albacore tuna war), which took place July 16th 1994,

High Court confirmed the sentence of the National Hearing, which in 1999 denied the boatowners of five French fishing vessels an indemnification of nearly 1,300,000 euros. France was claiming compensation from Spain for considering this country to be responsible for the attack on and capture of the vessel La Gabriella.

According to the National Hearing, this took place in international waters, at about 650 kilometers from Cape Finisterre and was triggered by the fishing conflict between Spanish albacore fishermen and the French regarding the dimensions of the fishing equipment used.

According to allegations from the French boatowners, the damages caused by the Spanish Bonito del Norte fleet and the capture of La Gabriela happened because of the “silence” and  “lack of effectiveness '' of the Spanish Administration. 

However, the Supreme Court maintained “in no way is Spain responsible for these damages” and added “both the French and Spanish fleet acted as would be expected by using common sense”.

The Supreme Court said, “we are standing before a litigious question between individuals, not countries” and indicated the “possible actions that the affected individuals can undertake against those other individuals who they consider responsible of the damages”.