fiskveiðilögsaga

Fiskveiðilögsaga, a term originating from Icelandic, translates to "fishing zone jurisdiction" or "fishery zone." It refers to the maritime area over which a coastal state exercises sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing living marine resources. This concept is central to international maritime law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Under UNCLOS, coastal states have exclusive rights within their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends up to 200 nautical miles from their baseline. Within this zone, the coastal state has jurisdiction over all fishing activities, including the right to set quotas, enforce regulations, and license foreign fishing vessels. The purpose of establishing such zones is to ensure the sustainable management of fish stocks and to prevent overfishing, which can have detrimental environmental and economic consequences.

The concept of fiskveiðilögsaga gained prominence in the latter half of the 20th century as nations sought to protect their valuable fishing grounds from the increasing capacity of distant water fishing fleets. Iceland, in particular, played a significant role in asserting its fishing zone jurisdiction, leading to several disputes known as the "Cod Wars" with the United Kingdom in the mid-20th century. These events highlighted the importance of national control over marine resources and contributed to the development of international legal frameworks governing maritime zones.