THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



been accustomed to consider as their own in many cases lying 

 within the territorial waters preserved to them by the laws 

 of their own country, though possibly outside "the ordinary 

 three-mile limit" invaded and exploited by foreigners, and 

 their own livelihood threatened. They fear that what has 

 occurred in the North Sea will happen along their own coasts ; 

 that the fishing-grounds, often of limited extent, will be im- 

 poverished and exhausted for the sole benefit of the foreigners, 

 and their efforts to maintain themselves and their families 

 rendered difficult or impossible. They observe from their 

 boats the immense hauls of fish made by the huge trawl-nets, 

 and the great waste that is often involved. 1 One cannot be 

 surprised that the fishermen, and those who sympathise with 

 them, feel indignation at the invasion of their waters by foreign 

 trawlers, and that great meetings have been held, as in Spain 

 and Portugal, to demand redress, and that at least the same 

 limit as applies to natives pursuing similar methods should be 

 enforced on the foreigners, or an international conference called 

 to arrange for an equitable limit, or equitable treatment, which 

 would have regard for the rights of all concerned. 2 



From the foregoing description of the problems associated 



1 Trawlers, on discovering new and productive grounds, invariably select out the 

 fish that are most remunerative and throw the rest back into the sea. " Hundreds 

 of thousands of tons " of immature fish are said to have been destroyed in this way 

 in the North Sea, and what has happened at Iceland with regard to mature fish 

 is tlms described in a letter from one trawler to another, which was read by the 

 recipient to the Parliamentary Committee in 1893 : " Dear Manton, . . . At 

 present the trawlers who are running Iceland are throwing thousands of tons of 

 good mature fish away, which, if some scheme of storage were got up, the fish 

 sorted, and bought for food, would supply thousands in the year. I have been to 

 Iceland, and we have to throw away hundreds of tons of good mature fish, such 

 as haddock, supposed to be too large, and great quantities of cod, ling, and other 

 fish. The fact is, the ground, which is valuable for fishing, is completely rotten 

 with the refuse from the trawlers. We have to haul every two hours, and we have 

 to carry extra hands to get rid of the fish and get the bit below we choose to save. 

 The ground is fairly poisoned, and the plaice-fishing not so brisk, only in odd places ; 

 whereas before it was more general where there is any trawling ground" (Report 

 cit., p. 248). The grounds had only been recently opened up when this was written. 

 It is different to-day, when 85 per cent of the fish brought back from Iceland are 

 round fish, chiefly haddocks and cod (Ann. Rep. Sea Fisheries for 1906, App., p. 15). 

 It used to be the same in the North Sea, only prime fish being taken, and haddocks, 

 &c., thrown away. 



'* Vida Maritima, 6rgano de la Liga Maritima Espariola, 1904, 1905 ; Boletin 

 oficial. 



