CHAPTER XIV 

 FISHERIES PROTECTION 



WITH such vast wealth in the North Sea to be had for 

 the trouble of catching with nets and lines of various 

 sorts, it became essential that measures should be taken 

 to control the fisheries and protect them. To this end 

 legislation came in, with the result that there is an 

 international agreement regulating the North Sea 

 fisheries. The countries which are parties to the 

 arrangement are Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, 

 Denmark, France, and Holland. 



The fishermen of each of these countries enjoy the 

 exclusive right of fishery within the distance of three 

 geographical miles from low-water mark along the whole 

 extent of the coasts of their respective countries, as well 

 as of the dependent islands and banks. The territorial 

 limits in Norway and Sweden are four miles. The Sea 

 Fisheries Act, 1883, and the corresponding legislation 

 of the other countries concerned, came into operation 

 while the fishing was still mostly done by sailing vessels. 

 Up to that period skippers had done pretty much as 

 they liked ; but with the coming of steam there was 

 organised a complete system of policing the fisheries in 

 the North Sea outside territorial waters, and now the 



master of a North Sea trawler looks upon fisheries 



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