The Cod Wars CLE

This course covers the incredible expansion of Iceland's territorial seas from 3 to 200 miles over the course of 30 years, a battle marked by Iceland's threats of withdrawal from NATO and expulsion of US forces from its military base in Keflavik, delayed formation of international maritime standards, severance of diplomatic relations with the UK, collisions between Icelandic coast guard vessels and British Naval frigates, and use of Iceland's secret net cutter weapon.

Iceland's most valuable resource, the fisheries around its coast, were for centuries mostly used by foreign fishing fleets. At the beginning of the 20th century, Iceland was under the control of Denmark, and foreign ships could fish up to just 3 miles from the coast. There was little basis in international law for a larger territorial sea.

After Iceland obtained its full independence in 1944, a series of Icelandic governments set out to gradually expand Iceland's territorial waters and expel foreign fleets from that area. Other countries, particularly the United Kingdom, objected and sent naval fleets to protect their ships. The resulting conflicts were called the Cod Wars, and despite the powerful opposition, Iceland prevailed in extending its territorial sea to 200 miles in the 1970s.

If you are planning a visit to Iceland this summer — perhaps to see the solar eclipse on August 12 — consider joining us for a half-day CLE in Reykjavik where we will take a lively and informative look at this unique resource dispute and how the tiny nation of Iceland managed to extend its maritime jurisdiction. The course will be held at the Reykjavik Maritime Museum by the old harbor in the heart of Reykjavik. At the conclusion of the three-hour presentation, we will take a guided tour of the decommissioned Coast Guard vessel Óðinn, which was used in the Cod Wars.