The North Atlantic Coast Fisheries Case (Great Britain, United States)
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REPORTS OF INTERNATIONAL ARBITRAL AWARDS RECUEIL DES SENTENCES ARBITRALES The North Atlantic Coast Fisheries Case (Great Britain, United States) 7 September 1910 VOLUME XI pp. 167-226 NATIONS UNIES - UNITED NATIONS Copyright (c) 2006 THE NORTH ATLANTIC COAST FISHERIES CASE PARTIES: Great Britain, United States of America. COMPROMIS: 27 January 1909.' ARBITRATORS: Permanent Court of Arbitration: H. Lammash; A. F. de Savornin Lohman; G. Gray; Luis M. Drago; Sir Charles Fitzpatrick. AWARD: 7 September 1910. ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS: Modus vivendi of 6/8 October 1906; memorandum of 12 September 1906; memorandum of 25 September 1906; modus vivendi of 4/6 September 1907; modus vivendi of 15/23 July 1908; cor- respondence of 27 January-4 March 1909; resolution of 18 February 1909; modus vivendi of 22 July-8 September 1909; agreement of 20 July 1912. Treaty interpretation — Effects of a treaty authorizing the nationals of a State to exercise activities in the domain of another State — Territorial jurisdiction of the State — Principle of independence of State — Duty of State to fulfil in good faith its obligations arising out of treaties — Ordinary sanctions of international law — Effect of war on treaties — Freedom of fishing — Economic right — Inter- national servitude — Legal status of the territorial sea — Breadth of the territorial sea — Legal status of bays — Historic bays — Ships in distress. 1 As the full text of this compromis is given in the award, it is not printed again under a special heading. BIBLIOGRAPHY A. M. Stuyt, Survey of International Arbitrations 1794-1938, The Hague, 1939, p. 303 Texts of the Compromis and Award Permanent Court of Arbitration, North Atlantic Coast Fisheries Tribunal of Arbitration constituted under a Special Agreement signed at Washington, January 27th, 1909, between the United States of America and Great Britain, The Hague, 1910, p. 5 [English text of the compromis]; p. 104 [English text of the award] - American Journal of International Law, vol. 3, 1909, Supplement, p. 168 [English text of the compromis] ; vol. 4. 1910, p. 948 [English text of the award] British and Foreign State Papers, vol. 102, p. 145 [English text of the compromis] ; vol. 103, p. 86 [English text of the award] Grotius International Jaarboek voor 1913, p. 286 [English text of the award] Hertslet's Commercial Treaties, vol. 26, p. 1088 [English text of the compromis]; p. 1115 [English text of the award] W. M. Malloy, Treaties, Conventions, International Acts, Protocols and Agreements between the United States of America and other Powers, vol. I, p. 835 [English text of the compromis] De Martens, Nouveau Recueil général de traités, 3e série, t. II, p. 742 [English text of the compromis] ; 3e série, t. IV, p. 89 [English text of the award] Papers relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1909, p. 275 [English text of the compromis] ; 1910, p. 544 [English text of the award] The Hague Court Reports, edited by J. B. Scott, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, New York, Oxford University Press, 1st series, 1916, p. 146 [English texts of the compromis and award]. French éd., 1921, p. 153 [French texts of the compromis and award] G. G. Wilson, The Hague Arbitration Cases, 1915, p. 145 [English texts of the compromis and award] Zeitschnft fur Internationales Recht, XX Band, 1910, p. 452 [English text of the award] Commentaries American Journal of International Law, vol. I, 1907, p. 963; vol. 3, 1909, p. 461 ; vol. 4, 1910, pp. 675, 903; vol. 5, 1911, p. 725; vol. 7, 1913, p. 140; vol. 5, 1911, Supplement, p. 93 C. P. Anderson, " The final outcome of the Fisheries Arbitration ", American Journal of International Law, vol. 7, 1913, p. 1 J. Basdevant, « L'affaire des pêcheries des côtes septentrionales de l'Atlantique entre les Etats-Unis d'Amérique et la Grande-Bretagne devant la Cour de La Haye», Revue générale de droit international public, t. XIX, 1912, p. 421 [including the French text of the award] 170 GREAT BRITAIN/UNITED STATES E. M. Borchardt, " The North Atlantic Coast Fisheries Arbitration", Colombia Law Review, vol. XI, January, 1911, No. 1, p. 1 I. Drago, « Un triomphe de l'arbitrage », Revue générale de droit international public, t. XIX, 1912, p. 5; El Arbitraje de las pesquerias del Atlàntico Norte, Buenos Aires, 1911 M. J. P. A. François, « La Cour permanente d'Arbitrage, son origine, sa jurisprudence, son avenir », Académie de droit international, Recueil des Cours, 1955, I. p. 500 Journal of the Society of Comparilive Legislation, new series, vol. XI, 1910, p. 18. H. Lammasch, " Was the award in the North Atlantic Fisheries Case a compromise? ", American Journal of International Law, vol. 6, 1912, p. 178 R. Lansing, " The North Atlantic Coast Fisheries Arbitration ", American Journal of International Law, vol. 5, 1911, p. 1 J. de Louter, « L'arbitrage dans le conflit anglo-américain concernant les pêcheries de l'Atlantique », Revue de droit international et de législation comparée, 2e série, t. XIII, 1911, p. 131; " De arbitrage in het Noord-Atlantische visscherij-geschil ", Verslagen en Mededeelingen der Koninklijke Akademie van WeUnschappen, 1911, p. 374 Oppenheim-Lauterpacht, International Law, 7th éd., p. 488 Revue générale de droit international public, t. 17, 1910, p. 260 J. B. Scott, " Der Nordatlantische Fischereistreit . .", Die gerichtlichen Ent- scheidungen, vol. I, second part, 1917, p. 141 T. Willing Balch, « La décision de la Cour permanente d'Arbitrage au sujet des pêcheries de l'Atlantique dans le différend entre les Etats-Unis et l'Empire britannique », Revue de droit international et de législation comparée, 2e série, t. XIII, 1911, p. 5 SYLLABUS' The treaty of peace of 1783 between Great Britain and the United States stipulated that inhabitants of the United States should continue to exercise the privileges theretofore enjoyed in common with British subjects in the fisheries of Newfoundland, Labrador, and other parts of the North Atlantic Coast. Great Britain regarded this treaty as abrogated by the war of 1812, whereas the United States considered it as only suspended by and during the war. However, on October 20, 1818, a new treaty was signed, article I of which defined the rights and obligations of inhabitants of the United States as to fishing in certain parts of British north Atlantic coast waters.2 Differences arose as to the scope and meaning of this article. Beginning with the seizure of American fishing vessels in 1821-2, the controversy over fishing rights continued in more or less menacing form until 1905 when, on account of the severe restrictive legislation by Newfoundland, affairs reached a critical stage. Negotiations were begun looking to a settlement, and in 1906 a modus viveruti1 covering the fishing season of 1906-7 was agreed upon by the two Governments for the purpose of allaying friction until some definite adjustment could be reached. The modus was renewed for the fishing seasons of 1907-8/ 1908-9 5 and I909-10,6 and on January 27, 1909, a compromis was signed submitting the controversy to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague. A tribunal was created composed of the following members of the panel of the court: Heinrich Lammasch, of Austria-Hungary; A. F. de Savornin Lohman, of Holland; George Gray, of the United States; Louis M. Drago, of Argentine; and Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, of Great Britain. The session of the tribunal began June 1, 1910, ended August 12, 1910. The decision which was rendered on 7 September 1910, dealt with seven questions put to the Tribunal by the compromis. 1 The Hague Court Reports, edited by J. B. Scott, Carnegie Endowment for Inter- national Peace, New York, Oxford Universtiy Press, 1st series, 1916, p. 141. 2 For the text of this article, see infra., p. 173. 3 See infra., p. 212. * See infra., p. 215. 5 Sec infra., p. 217. 6 See infia., p. 221. AWARD OF THE TRIBUNAL OF ARBITRATION IN THE QUESTION RELATING TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC COAST FISHERIES, THE HAGUE, 7 SEPTEMBER, 1910 1 Interprétation des traités — Determination des effets d'un traité autorisant les nationaux d'un Etat à exercer leur activité dans le domaine géographique d'un autre Etat — Compétence territoriale de l'Etat — Principe de l'indépendance de l'Etat — Devoir de l'Etat d'exécuter de bonne foi ses obligations conventionnelles — Sanctions ordinaires du droit international — Extinction des traités par l'effet de la guerre — Liberté de pêche — Droit économique — Servitude internationale — Condition juridique de la mer territoriale — Etendue de la mer territoriale — Condition juridique des baies — Baies historiques — Relâche forcée. PREAMBLE WHEREAS a Special Agreement between the United States of America and Great Britain, signed at Washington the 27th January, 1909, and confirmed by interchange of Notes dated the 4th March, 1909, was concluded in con- formity with the provisions of the General Arbitration Treaty between the United States of America and Great Britain, signed the 4th April, 1908, and ratified the 4th June, 1908; AND WHEREAS the said Special Agreement for the submission of questions relating to fisheries on the North Atlantic Coast under the general treaty of arbitration concluded between the United States and Great Britain on the 4th day of April, 1908, is as follows: Article I WHEREAS by Article I of the Convention signed at London on the 20th day of October, 1818, between Great Britain and the United States, it was agreed as follows : WHEREAS differences have arisen respecting the liberty claimed by the United States for the Inhabitants