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The BBC's Tom Burridge said it is a "chaotic scene" in the disputed waters
Spanish fishermen have sailed near disputed waters off Gibraltar to protest about a reef put there by the British territory's government.
The fishermen say the reef restricts their right to fish but Gibraltar says it will encourage sea-life to flourish.
The Royal Gibraltar Police said the protest, which appeared to pass off without incident, had ended.
The row over the artificial reef has led to tensions between the UK, Gibraltar and Spain in recent weeks.
'Not theirs'Spanish fishing boats sailed from the "Campo de Gibraltar" - the area in southern Spain just over the border from the British territory - to protest near the spot where Gibraltar recently dropped 70 concrete blocks into the sea to create the artificial reef.
The BBCs Tom Burridge, at the scene, said it was "chaotic and tense" as Spanish and Gibraltarian police boats and Spanish fishermen weaved among each other.
At the close of the demonstration, Gibraltar's chief minister Fabian Picardo tweeted: "Big thank you also to Royal Navy, Gib Defence Police, HM Customs and Port Authority for their deployment too. Cool, professional and calm!"
Meanwhile, GBC News, Gibraltar's public service broadcaster, posted: "Spanish fishermen's demo in #Gibraltar waters seems to have passed without incident. Most fishing boats returning to La Atunara now."
The Spanish government has accused Gibraltar of creating the reef "without the necessary authorisation" in "waters that are not theirs".
It has said that, in building the reef, Gibraltar is contravening environmental laws and damaging Spain's fishing industry, because Spanish fishing nets are in danger of catching on the concrete reef blocks.
In response, Spain has imposed tougher checks at the border in recent weeks, leading to lengthy delays.
It said the checks were necessary to tackle tobacco smuggling.
'Serious concerns'But the UK accused Spain of breaking EU free movement rules.
Mr Picardo has said he is not willing to make any concessions to persuade Spain to relax the controls.
On Friday UK Prime Minister David Cameron called EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to raise "serious concerns" that Spain's extra border checks were politically motivated and "disproportionate".
The UK wants to resolve the row through "political dialogue", a Downing Street spokesman said.
Royal Navy warship HMS Westminster, which left Portsmouth last weekend, is due to arrive in Gibraltar on Monday in a visit described by the Ministry of Defence as "long-planned" as part of "a range of regular and routine deployments".
Spain disputes UK sovereignty over Gibraltar, a limestone outcrop near the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula, which has been ruled by Britain since 1713.
In recent years the dispute has taken the form of a clash over fishing rights. Both Spain and Gibraltar have claimed jurisdiction over the waters off the Rock, and both sides have complained about incursions into what they claim are their waters.
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