INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS OF THE FISHERIES ON THE 
HIGH SEAS. 
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By O. T. OLSEN, D. Sc., F. L. S. 
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To attempt a history of the fisheries on the high seas would be like attempt- 
ing to bail out the ocean or to name all the inhabitants in the vast deep. It 
is well known to all here that there are no greater flow and ebb in any industry 
or commerce than in that of the fisheries. Many fortunes have been made and 
as many have been lost. 
God, the great Creator, has very bountifully provided for his creatures, 
both on land and sea, and given to man the cunning of entrapping the denizens 
of the seas as food. As populations increased so the demand for fish food 
increased, accordingly markets were established and both catchers and vend- 
ers reaped great harvests. It was soon found that to keep markets sup- 
plied larger vessels had to be built to go farther afield for fish, and indeed the 
fishermen did not confine themselves to their own coasts, but they invaded the 
shores of other nations, which led to dispute and legislation. 
Many acts were passed by the various governments to regulate the fish- 
eries of their own coasts, but nothing of an international character has ever 
been attempted which has worked more satisfactorily than the international 
convention of 1882 in the North Sea, although there are improvements to be 
made even in this. 
Territorial waters or sea fishery limits have for many centuries occupied 
the minds of maritime nations. As far back as 1200 King John claimed dominion 
over the British seas, so did Edward I and Edward II. The sovereignty 
included many rights and privileges, of which fishing was one, but foreigners 
were allowed to fish along the British coasts. In 1295 King Edward I com- 
manded the authorities at Yarmouth to treat foreign fishermen in a friendly 
and kind spirit while fishing off Yarmouth, and freedom of fishing in the seas 
was embodied in various treaties between England, France, Spain, Portugal, and 
Flanders. In 1493 the Pope issued a bull dividing the seas between Spain and 
Portugal. Spain became ruler over the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico, while 
Portugal reigned over the Atlantic south of Morocco and over the Indian Ocean. 
During the reign of Elizabeth most of the seas were claimed by one nation 
or another. Denmark claimed the seas between Norway and Iceland, as well 
as the Sound, the Belts, and the Baltic. England claimed the English Channel, 
Bay of Biscay, and the seas westward of Ireland and north of Scotland; also 
the whole North Sea. These claims included the rights of fishing, and led to 
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