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The First, Second, and Third Cod Wars |
Technique used by Icelandic patrol boats to cut trawler nets [British Sea Fishing, n.d.]
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Stretching from 1959 to 1975, three cod wars took place between Icelandic fishing trawlers and the British Royal Navy. This tension was sparked by Iceland increasing their EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone). The resulting confrontations often became violent. Smaller Icelandic trawlers rammed into Royal Navy ships protecting her Majesty's fleet. These debates were settled for the last time through a 1975 compromise between the two fishing powers.
"the basis for our independence is economic independence"
- Lúdvik Jósepsson, speaking about the cod wars [1972] |
The EEZ of Iceland at each stage [British Sea Fishing, n.d.]
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Encounters between Iceland and Britain over cod nearly sparked a violent war that could have dragged other nations into a struggle that wasn't theirs. These encounters continue to shape fishing relations between the two countries.