The Turbot War

In the wake of a total moratorium on Northern Cod in 1992 the fishing industry in the Grand Banks region began to increasingly turn to Turbot stock in the region. International fishing concerns (especially Spanish and Portuguese) also continued to explore and exploit turbot resources in the region increasing their harvests in the area. These vessels increasingly began to violate Canadian law within Canada’s claimed 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Tensions came to a head when Canadian authorities intercepted and impounded the Spanish Trawler Estai for fishing with an illegally lined net on March 9, 1995. The Spanish government responded by dispatching several patrol boats and even considered dispatching a naval task force. Canadian forces were authorized to fire on Spanish forces exposing their guns. Ultimately a settlement was reached on April 15, 1995, but one if one wasn’t?