GAINING CONTROL OF THE FISHERIES 1901 - 1976

In 1901 Iceland declared a fishing limit of three nautical miles which remained in effect until this was extended to four miles from the baseline in 1952. As scientific knowledge of the fisheries increased it became clear that some of the most important fish stocks, most notably the cod stock, were under severe pressure by a multinational fleet and that strict fisheries management was needed.

The Icelanders campaigned for three quarters of a century to win full jurisdiction over the fishing grounds and championed the international cause of coastal states to manage fisheries in their waters and prevent overfishing. As a result of this, the fishing limits were extended to 12 miles in 1958 and further to 50 miles in 1972. The 200 miles Exclusive Economic Zone was fully effective from May 1976.

All the extensions of the fishing limits were opposed by the other nations fishing near Iceland and Icelanders still refer to these milestones as the "cod wars". Historically, however, the very first of these involved conflicts between Icelanders and foreign fleets and fish merchants in the 15th century. In modern times all disputes have been solved by international agreements.

A very important landmark in the campaign for jurisdiction was the national law set in 1948 (No.44/1948) for the scientific conservation of the continental shelf fisheries. The law is very brief. It states that the Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries will issue regulations concerning areas protected against fishing within the Icelandic continental shelf. Also, that these areas will be subject to Icelandic control with the chief aim of scientific protection of fish stocks. All the extensions of the fishing limits after 1948 were based on this law.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force in 1994, one year after being ratified by 60 nations. In 1985, Iceland was the first state to ratify this treaty.