Chapter III: The Fishery Conventions

In nineteenth century the boundaries of territorial sea concerned
chiefly with fisheries--Encroachment of foreign fishermen--Dutch
decrees of 1824 and 1829 fixing a limit of two leagues on British
coast--Disputes with French fishermen--Inquiry by select committee
of House of Commons, 1833--Their recommendations--Opinion as to
bays--Renewed encroachments and disputes--Convention with France,
1839--Three-mile limit and ten miles for bays adopted--Granville
Bay reserved for French--Regulations regarding trawling--Disputes
with Belgian and Dutch fishermen--Belgians claim special rights
under Bruges Charter--Convention of 1852 with Belgium--Dispute
about Fame Islands--Second Convention with France, 1867--Not
ratified--Question of Irish oyster-beds beyond three-mile
limit--Fishery disputes in British North America--The definition
of bays and creeks--British cruisers seize American vessels--The
British Government relax the rule as to Bay of Fundy--Decision of
referee as to this bay--Reciprocity Treaty, 1854--Terminated by
United States, 1866--Concessions by British Government--Licenses
to American vessels--A six-mile limit for bays conceded--Treaty
of Washington, 1871--Terminated by United States, 1885--Treaty
of Washington, 1888--Precise delimitation of bays--Treaty not
ratified by United States--_Modus vivendi_ conceded and still in
force--Discussion as to bays--Renewed disputes in North Sea--The
Belgian “Devil”--The Higgin’s Inquiry--Conference at Hague,
1881--Views of British Government as to territorial limit--Question
of dependent banks--Trawling and preservation of fish--North Sea
Convention, 1882--Sweden and Norway refuse to join--Discussion
of its terms--Views of British Government as to inclusion of
banks--Question of the Eddystone, the Bell Rock, the Seven-Stones
Rocks--Discussion as to limit under the Conventions and under the Law
of Nations--Anglo-Danish Convention, 1901, respecting the Faröes and
Iceland 604