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Cod War captains meet for first time since clash

Naj Modak
BBC News
Natalie Bell
BBC Look North East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
BBC/Natalie Bell A large group of mainly men and a few women stood in front of the Hull Fishing Heritage Centre, which is a beige and redbrick building with a blue sign across the middle of the building. The sign reads: Hull Fishing Heritage Centre.BBC/Natalie Bell
The former fishermen from both the Icelandic and British nations met at the Hull Fishing Heritage Centre

Some of the 43 trawler captains who were on opposite sides in the Cod Wars have met for the first time since the conflict to discuss how to commemorate the battle.

Between the 1950s and 1970s, the UK sparred with Iceland over fishing rights in the North Atlantic, in what became known in the British press as the "Cod Wars".

The Icelandic ex-fishermen visited their British counterparts at the Hull Fishing Heritage Centre on Wednesday to learn how to mark the dispute in their native country.

Jerry Thompson, chairman of the heritage centre and former fisherman, said: "We had three Cod Wars with Iceland and at the end of the day we are still absolute partners."

BBC/Natalie Bell Helgi Kristjánsson (left) and Jerry Thompson (right) holding a photo of the town of Akureyri in Iceland. Helgi is wearing a khaki-coloured puffer jacket and Jerry is wearing a blue sweatshirt over a blue shirt, he is also wearing cap with a logo.BBC/Natalie Bell
Helgi Kristjánsson (left) gifts a picture of the Icelandic town of Akureyri to Jerry Thompson in the hope to "keep the history and their friendship alive"

British trawler fleets had long fished in the waters off Iceland but from the 1950s the Scandinavian country tried to extend its fishing limits from three miles (4.8km) to 200 miles (322km) from its coast.

Britain refused to recognise the declaration and continued to fish within the limits, leading to violence between British and Icelandic vessels that became known as the first Cod War.

Mr Thompson, who worked on board the CS Forestor trawler, said during the battle he "used potatoes as weapons" because the fish were too valuable to throw at the Icelandic fisherman.

But they had to keep some of the potatoes as they would have "nothing to eat", he said.

Helgi Kristjánsson, a former trawler captain, said the Icelandic's realised the British fishermen had "suffered a lot" but they "had to protect their stocks".

He said they were "thankful" to be at the Hull Fishing Heritage Centre.

Icelandic trawlerman, Ragnar Elison, said the Nordic fishermen could learn a lot from their British counterparts because they wanted to "keep the history alive".

Mr Thompson said he "respects" the Icelandic trawlerman and all of them wanted to stay friends.

During the meeting on Wednesday, he asked the Icelandic fisherman if he "could have his potatoes back".

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