Over nearly 20 years, Iceland and Britain found themselves at a conflict known as the Cod Wars. Britain was victorious in WWII, and although its empire kept shrinking, its armed forces, especially the Royal Navy, were one of the strongest in the world. Iceland was a poor island nation with very little economic activity beyond subsistence fishing and no armed forces to defend its territory. However, just like in the biblical story of David and Goliath, little Iceland beat the mighty British by using clever tactics and having good leverage.
You may be wondering what this was all about, and the answer may surprise you: cod… literally. Cod is found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic, and it is also delicious, especially in one of Britain’s national dishes, fish and chips. While a few coastal British cities flourished thanks to cod, Iceland went from being a poor nation to a modern wealthy nation all thanks to cod.
How Cod Made Iceland Rich
Cod has been so important for commercial fishing really because it’s delicious. The flavor is pretty mild, and the meat is flaky and white. It can be served in many different ways so, it is a popular option for people who want to sautè it, fry it, smoke it, can it, or even make a fresh seafood salad.
Cod dishes are found all over the world, from the United Kingdom and Iceland to continental European countries like Spain, Portugal, and Italy, as well as in the Americas in the United States, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Because of cod’s popularity, Iceland exported it all over the world, and its economy grew enormously.
Cod, the Fishy Bone of Contention
After WWII, Iceland began buying fishing trawlers which transformed its economy by allowing Icelandic fishermen to catch tons of fish that they sold for a nice profit. As the money began rolling in, they decided to stop non-Icelandic fishermen from entering the area. The British fisherman who for centuries fished in Icelandic waters paid no attention to the new laws and rules that prohibited them from fishing. Iceland had no navy to defend its waters so, the Icelandic Coast Guard would chase off British trawlers who would quickly return. This back and forth continued getting more tense.
The British government didn’t care about Iceland’s claim to its water rights which was only 12 nautical miles from land. As the British trawlers complained of Icelandic harassment, the Royal Navy was sent in to escort the fisherman and scare off any Icelandic ship that tried to intervene. Armed with lots of guns and experience fighting naval battles, the Royal Navy assumed that it would be easy to intimidate the small unarmed vessels of the Icelandic Coast Guard.
The Royal Navy learned that having big guns doesn’t matter when the other guy has big cojones. Icelandic ships would ram British warships and cut trawlers’ nets even as they were shot at with lethal weapons that could sink a ship. Iceland was determined to defend its water and the precious cod. The first Cod War lasted from 1958 – 1961, and another reason why Iceland was victorious was thanks to the Cold War.
How the Cold War Helped Iceland Win the Cod War
Iceland is an ally of Britain and the United States as a member of NATO. This has to do with the strategic location of Iceland during the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, a stretch of water known as the GIUK Gap became a strategic point for submarine warfare. Soviet submarines had to pass through a relatively narrow passage between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom. Because of this, Icelandic cooperation with NATO was of utmost importance to surveil any Soviet sub that tried to enter the Atlantic Ocean.
So when Iceland expanded its water rights, England banned Icelandic ships from entering British ports. The Soviet Union stepped in to buy all of the fish that now couldn’t enter Britain, which caused a lot of alarm for NATO. With pressure from the U.S., the sanctions were lifted, and the Soviets were prevented from a non-lethal Cold War victory.
Two more wars broke out between Iceland and the U.K. in 1972-1973 and again from 1975-1976 when Iceland expanded its water territory out to 200 nautical miles. Small battles broke out, which threatened to turn deadly. The pressure of keeping Iceland happy so that NATO could monitor the Soviet subs passing through the GIUK Gap, plus the United Nations recognizing Iceland’s water claims, meant that mighty Britain had to surrender to the unarmed Icelandic fishermen.
This was truly one of the strangest wars of all time. So next time you have delicious fish and chips, remember that regular Icelandic fishermen took on one of the most powerful navies in the world and won to get that fish on your plate.
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