On this day it was French, but observers routinely see fishing activity inside MPAs from a multitude of states, including Britain.

Greenpeace staff attempted to speak with the trawler skipper and explain that he was in an MPA, but he refused to engage.

So, with a smaller boat, they moved in.

The aim is to educate, but also deter.
The trawler hauled its bulging net on aboard while Green Party MP Caroline Lucas held a banner aloft declaring: 'This is a Marine Protected Area'.

As the net cleared the water, the trawler put on the power and headed straight out of the area.

Despite almost 40% of British waters having protected status, it’s thought that fishers often don’t realise they are in them.