The
Cod Wars (
Icelandic:
Þorskastríðin; also known as
Landhelgisstríðin, lit. 'The Coastal Wars';
German:
Kabeljaukriege) were a series of 20th-century confrontations between the
United Kingdom (with aid from
West Germany) and
Iceland about
fishing rights in the
North Atlantic. Each of the disputes ended with an Icelandic victory.
[1][2]
Fishing boats from Britain had been sailing to waters near Iceland in search of catch since the 14th century. Agreements struck during the 15th century started a centuries-long series of intermittent disputes between the two countries. Demand for seafood and consequent competition for fish stocks grew rapidly in the 19th century. The modern disputes began in 1952 after Iceland expanded its territorial waters from 3 to 4 nautical miles (7 kilometres). The United Kingdom responded by banning Icelandic ships landing their fish in British ports.
[3] In 1958, Iceland expanded its territorial waters to 12 nmi (22 km) and banned foreign fishing fleets. Britain refused to accept this decision,
[4] which led to a series of confrontations over 20 years: 1958–1961, 1972–73 and 1975–76. British fishing boats were escorted to the fishing grounds by the
Royal Navy while the
Icelandic Coast Guard attempted to chase them away and use long
hawsers to
cut nets from the British boats; ships from both sides suffered damage from
ramming attacks.
