Cod_ A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World - Mark Kurlansky [52]
While Icelanders were celebrating, the British government sent a formal letter of protest, which stated, “Claims to exercise exclusive jurisdiction in relation to fishing in areas outside the normal limits of territorial waters are wholly unwarranted under international law.” The statement went on to say that “Her Majesty’s Government find it difficult to believe that the Icelandic Government would use force against British fishing vessels in order to secure compliance with a unilateral Decree which parties of the Government Coalition propose to issue without regard for international law.” Once again, the British had underestimated the zeal of a people first embracing nationhood.
And so began what the British press labeled “the Cod Wars.” There were three, though there was never a declaration of war nor a single death. The lack of casualties can only be attributed to a great deal of luck on both sides.
France, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain all backed the British position, which is about as close as western Europe has ever come to a united front. To them, the Icelanders were “harassing” lawful shipping beyond their territorial limits. By the withdrawal deadline, August 30, 1958, all foreign vessels, except British trawlers, had left the twelve-mile limit. They were now accompanied by British warships. The Icelandic Coast Guard spotted thirty-seven ships of the Royal Navy and 7,000 men, though Admiralty records show that the force was even larger.
The destroyers and frigates, manned by World War II combat veterans, were capable of speeds of up to thirty knots. The Icelandic Coast Guard had seven ships, of which the largest and most advanced could do seventeen knots. The ships had one gun each, and the sailors were either policemen or civilians—men with no combat experience. But they were all experienced seamen with an intimate knowledge of Icelandic waters. During the two and a half years of the first Cod War, the Coast Guard managed to arrest only one British trawler out of Grimsby that had ventured within the old four-mile limit where the Royal Navy was not patrolling. But with all of this tense maneuvering, the trawlers were getting very little fishing done. The Navy had the trawlers fishing within defendable thirty-mile-long rectangular boxes—a good military move, but abysmal for catches.
Based on its ambassador’s reports, the British government believed that Icelanders were divided on the issue of extending their exclusive fishing zone. Opposition parties had voiced disagreement, but mostly on the timing of implementation. When the British realized their mistake, they began negotiating—in Reykjavik, London, and Paris. After five months, in February 1961, Britain finally recognized the twelve-mile limit, and Iceland declared its intention to look into further expansion. The Icelandic government almost fell over its agreement to give the British a three-year adjustment period.
Ten years later, the two countries repeated the same exercise. In March 1971, Iceland declared that effective September 1, 1972, it was extending its limit to fifty miles. Britain and West Germany, now partners in the European Economic Community, vehemently protested and asked the International Court of Justice to intercede in what they claimed was a violation of international law. Iceland said it did not recognize the court’s jurisdiction because the action was on Iceland’s continental shelf and therefore was not an international issue. Before the International Court could reach a decision, the second Cod War was fought and settled.
This second war was shorter and more dangerous. On the one side, the Icelandic Coast Guard was better prepared, with faster ships. On the other