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1957
April 12th. A conference was held in Reykjavik to decide on
actions.
1958
May 24th the Minister of Fisheries, Ludvik Josepsson,
announced the government’s decision to extend the fishing limits to 12
miles.
June
30th the minister signed a regulation concerning the 12
miles’ zone.
September 1st the regulation took effect. British trawlers continued fishing inside the new limit under
the protection of British battleships.
On September 2nd crewmembers of the coast guard vessel
“Thor” were apprehended doing there duty on board a
British trawler Northern Foam and taken to the British
frigate “Eastbourne”.
A large crowd of people protested in front of the British Embassy
in Reykjavik.
On September 4th a crowded meeting was held on the Laekjartorg
Square in Reykjavik to protest the British despotism and strengthen the
solidarity of the nation in the battle for its rights.
China moved its territorial waters from 3 miles to 12.
On September 5th, the captain of the British battleship “HMS
Russel” accused the captain of the coast guard vessel “Aegir” of
having tried to ram his vessel.
On September 13th the frigate “Eastbourne” sailed into the
Faxi Bay in the wee hours of the morning to release the apprehended
crewmembers on an open boat two miles from shore.
November 12th “Thor” encountered opposition when trying
to apprehend the British trawler “Hackness”.
The captain of “HMS Russel” threatened to sink the coast
guard vessel.
1959
February 6th the “Thor” managed to bring the British
trawler “Valafell” to harbour after having attempted the feat for
four days. A British
battleship interfered until the trawler was taken within the 4 miles
limit. The ship owners were
sentenced to pay a fine of Ikr. 74,000,oo and the fishing gear and catch
were confiscated. The
Icelandic people were surprised at the lenient treatment.
1960
March
3rd the British trawlers displayed encroachment by trawling
across the nets of smaller fishing vessels from Olafsvik, causing
considerable damages.
March
14th British trawlers moved outside the 12 miles to lubricate
the proceedings of the International Conference of the Ocean in Geneva,
Switzerland.
March
26th the conference was concluded without any solutions and
the British sent their trawlers and battleships back inside the limit.
April
30th the government of Iceland pardoned the captains, who had
been registered for their offences from the 1st of September
1958 to the 29th of April 1960.
1961
March 11th the “Cod War” was concluded with an agreement
with the British. They
acknowledged the 12 miles zone and were permitted to continue fishing up
to the 6 miles’ limit for the next three years. |