The Overseas Patrol Squadron (known as the Fishery Protection Squadron until 2020) is a front-line squadron of the Royal Navy with responsibility for patrolling the UK's Extended Fisheries Zone, both at home and around British Overseas Territories. The squadron, with headquarters at HMNB Portsmouth, is equipped with eight of the s. The squadron is the oldest front-line squadron in the Royal Navy, and boasts Admiral Lord Nelson amongst those who have served in it. Originally, the squadron was based on the coast of North America, Iceland and the UK, patrolling much of the North Atlantic against French and American incursions. Over the past hundred years it has been slimmed down to follow a more policing-oriented approach, dealing mainly with infringements by civilian fishermen. Despite this, it still has a strong military role, as evidenced in its role in the Cod Wars of the 1960s–1970s. Vessels of the squadron fly the historic blue and yellow squared pennant of the Fishery Protection Squadron. Current operations Royal Navy officers assigned to the Fishery Protection Squadron have a secondary role as British Sea Fisheries officers. There is a formal contract between the Ministry of Defence, the Marine Management Organisation and DEFRA that allows the squadron to conduct inspections of all fishing vessels in all UK (excepting Scottish which fall under Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency) waters. Fishery Protection Squadron vessels can also stop British fishing vessels in international waters. In the 2008/09 contract year, the squadron spent 700 days at sea on patrol, conducting 1,102 inspections. From the inspections, 231 ships broke UK or EU law. As a result, 144 verbal warnings, 33 written warnings and 10 financial administrative penalties were handed out. The most serious breaches resulted in eight vessels being detained at UK ports. When a vessel is detained, the captain of the squadron ship contacts the Marine Management Organisation operation centre in Newcastle, which formulates a decision based on information provided to it by ships, aircraft, marine enforcement officers and fishermen, and then relays this decision back to the fishery protection ship. In 2008, 60% of all fish caught in the EU were caught within British jurisdiction. With as many as 500 fishing ships in British waters at any one time, including dozens from EU countries, it is acknowledged to be a very difficult task to patrol UK fishing grounds. There is also monthly rotating aerial surveillance of the entire fishing area