Turbot War facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Turbot War

The location of the bulk of the conflict

Date	1994–1996
Location	Grand Banks of Newfoundland and the English Channel
Result	Canadian position recognized

Belligerents

Canada

Spain

European Union

Commanders and leaders

Jean Chrétien

Brian Tobin

Earle McCurdy

Lawrence E. Murray

Felipe González

Eduardo Serra

Javier Solana

Emma Bonino

Casualties and losses

None

1 fishing vessel captured

1 British fishing vessel mistakenly captured by French authorities

The Turbot War was a disagreement between Canada and Spain (supported by the European Union) about fishing. It was called a "bloodless conflict" because no one was hurt. The dispute was mainly about who could fish for a type of fish called Greenland halibut, also known as turbot.

On March 9, 1995, Canadian officials stopped a Spanish fishing boat called Estai. This happened in international waters, about 220 nautical miles (407 km) off Canada's east coast. The Canadians fired warning shots before boarding the ship. They arrested the crew and took the Estai to a Canadian port. Canada said that European Union ships were catching too many turbot. This was happening in an area regulated by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), just outside Canada's 200-nautical-mile (370 km) special fishing zone.

Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

What Caused the Turbot War?

Rules for Fishing Areas

For a long time, countries only controlled the waters very close to their coast. But in 1982, a new international agreement was made. It allowed countries to create a 200-nautical-mile (370 km) "exclusive economic zone" (EEZ). Within this zone, a country has special rights to explore and use marine resources, like fish. Canada declared its EEZ in 1977.

The Problem of Overfishing

By the 1970s, too many fish were being caught by large industrial fishing boats. This was a big problem, especially for Atlantic cod in Eastern Canada. The Canadian government had allowed too much fishing. By the late 1980s, there were far fewer cod. In 1992, Canada had to stop all cod fishing indefinitely. This was a huge blow to fishing communities, especially in Newfoundland and Labrador. Many people lost their jobs.

The Rise of Turbot Fishing

After the cod disappeared, people looked for other fish. Greenland halibut, or turbot, became important. Foreign fishing fleets, including those from Spain and Portugal, also started catching more turbot. They fished just outside Canada's 200-nautical-mile EEZ.

In 1994, NAFO set a limit on how much turbot could be caught. Canada believed it should get most of the quota. This was because the turbot had moved outside its EEZ from waters where Canada had historically fished. Spain and Portugal disagreed. They said they had started fishing for turbot in these deeper international waters. They wanted a much larger share of the turbot catch.

Canada's Concerns

Canada was worried that turbot stocks would also collapse, just like the cod. They saw many foreign boats fishing illegally or using nets with holes that were too small. These nets catch young fish, which is bad for the fish population.

In October 1994, Brian Tobin, Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, asked Spain and Portugal to follow the rules. But nothing changed. Tobin then pushed for Canada to take strong action. He wanted to find a legal way to stop foreign vessels from overfishing, even in international waters.

At a NAFO meeting in December 1994, Canada and the EU both wanted 75% of the turbot quota. They couldn't agree. On March 1, 1995, the EU decided to set its own quota, which was much higher than what Canada wanted.

Canada's Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, did not want to extend Canada's EEZ. Instead, Brian Tobin changed Canadian law. On March 3, 1995, it became illegal for Spanish and Portuguese ships to fish for turbot in certain areas of the Grand Banks, even outside Canada's EEZ. The EU strongly protested, saying this broke international law.

The Estai Incident

Canada decided to show how serious it was. On March 9, 1995, Canadian patrol vessels found the Spanish trawler Estai in international waters. The Estai tried to escape, cutting its fishing net. Canadian ships chased it for hours. Finally, the Canadian vessel Cape Roger fired a machine gun across the Estai's bow. Another Canadian ship used water cannons to keep other Spanish boats away.

Brian Tobin was the Canadian politician who managed the conflict. He was nicknamed "Captain Canada" and "The Turbotonator."

Canadian fishery officers and police boarded the Estai and took it to St. John's, Newfoundland. This caused a big stir in Canada. Spain and the European Union were very angry. They threatened to stop buying Canadian products. Spain also wanted the case to be heard at the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands.

On March 11, 1995, the Spanish Navy sent a patrol boat, the Atalaya, to protect its fishing vessels. Spain also thought about sending more warships, but decided not to.

Brian Tobin ignored the protests. He had the Estai's cut net pulled from the ocean. It was found that the net had a special lining, making the holes smaller than allowed by NAFO rules. This meant the net was catching too many small fish. Tobin took the net to New York City and showed it to the world's media. He used this to prove that Spain was breaking fishing rules. Spain admitted the net was theirs but said Canada had no right to stop their ship in international waters. The International Court of Justice later refused to hear Spain's case.

Canada released the Estai's crew. The owners paid a $500,000 bond to get the ship back. Spain then made it harder for Canadians to visit their country by requiring visas. This rule was later removed by the EU in 1996.

Talks between Canada and the EU began, but they failed. On March 26, Canadian ships cut the nets of a Portuguese trawler. The Spanish Navy sent another patrol boat. Canada's Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, even allowed Canadian ships to fire on Spanish vessels if they showed their weapons.

On March 27, the EU Fisheries Commissioner called Canada's actions "an act of organised piracy." Spain demanded the Estai and its catch be returned.

Finally, Canada and the EU reached a deal on April 5. Spain initially rejected it but was pressured by the EU to accept it on April 15. Canada returned the $500,000 bond. Both sides agreed to new rules for observing fishing vessels, including having observers on board and using tracking systems. Canada also agreed to a slightly smaller turbot quota for itself.

The dispute made Brian Tobin very popular in Canada. It showed that Canada was serious about protecting its fish stocks.

International Effects

The Turbot War helped push for a new international agreement. This agreement, signed in December 1995, helped manage fish stocks that swim across different countries' fishing zones. Canada saw this as a victory.

However, Canada's influence in managing fish stocks in the Northwest Atlantic later decreased. In 2001, Canada lost a vote at a NAFO meeting for the first time. This showed that other countries were gaining more power in NAFO.

In 2005, Canada pushed for NAFO to be reformed. New rules were proposed that gave more power to countries with distant fishing fleets. These new rules also changed how voting worked and how countries could object to quotas. The new rules for NAFO officially started in May 2017.

The Newlyn Incident

During the Turbot War, the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland supported Canada. British Prime Minister John Major even spoke out against Spain.

Some British fishing boats started flying Canadian flags to show their support. This led to a strange event in European waters. A British fishing boat called Newlyn was flying a Canadian flag. A French ship mistakenly thought it was Canadian and arrested it.

This incident made Britain and Ireland even more supportive of Canada. Soon, many British and Irish ships were flying Canadian flags. Other EU countries supported France and Spain but did not take action against Britain, Ireland, or Canada.

Iceland also got involved, supporting the EU against Britain. Iceland had its own fishing disputes with Britain in the 1970s, known as the Cod Wars. But Britain and Ireland ignored Iceland's protests and continued to support Canada.

In the end, the Newlyn was returned to the British without any more problems.