The North Atlantic Fisheries, 1100-1976 - University of Hull

In 1938 the Fishery Committee of the Lagting issued a major political
report on the whole case of Faroese fishery off Greenland from 1924 to
1938. In spite of the many advantages for the Faroese (which often meant
disadvantages in the long run for the Greenlanders) the committee with
regret concluded: “The concessions that the Faroese have obtained in
Greenland in the last 15 years have not been substantial, [on the contrary
...] recently a considerable reduction in the Faroese rights in Greenland
has taken place and the Faroese have thus more difficult conditions to
work under than before.” 162 The last complaint concerns the opening in
1937 of Færingehavn by the Danish government to the ships of other
nations.
The report was accepted unanimously by the Lagting. The claim of
extended access to Greenlandic harbours and fishing banks was then
routine. The real novelty was the decision of naming a Faroese
committee consisting of respected members from the Lagting, from the
leading commercial organizations and from the fishermen’s union to
meet with prime minister Stauning and his staff. The government
accepted the negotiations which took place 23-30 January 1939 in
Copenhagen.
The deliberations included all the major problems, both Greenlandic
and Faroese, and the minutes were published.The Faroese case was
summarized as follows:
The Faroese fishing cutters have for many years sailed in great numbers to Greenland
for the cod fishery. The reason for this has been hard necessity; the fishery around the
Faroe Islands is in practice insignificant as a result of the activity of foreign trawlers,
and the Icelandic fishery has been constantly in decline due to the failure of the fish
stock. The fishing off Greenland has then been the sole fishery which could sustain
the trade and every year in the months of May-June some 80 to 100 smaller vessels
sail from the Faroe Island to Greenland for the fishery. The crews of the ships amount
to some 2,500 or even 3,000 men, nearly half of the grown male population.—The
Faroese cod fishery takes place under extraordinary difficult and dangerous
conditions for the fishermen. The ships and gear which are at hand for the Faroese
are mostly old and fragile. The distance from the Faroe Islands to the main land
station in Greenland, the Færingehavn, is of some 1,700 nautical miles. The coastline
162 The opening pages of the Committee report of the Lagting, Lagtingssag VI-I/1938,
annex 7, Lagtingstidende 1938. ‘Grønlandsmál’, 1-31. Quotation in Danish: “...de
Indrømmelser, Færingerne har opnaaet i Grønland i de svundne 15 Aar, ikke har været
store, (tværtimod hedder det videre, at) der i den sidste Tid er sket en betydelig
Indskrænkning i de færøske Rettigheder i Grønland, og at Færingerne saaledes har faaet
vanskeligere Kaar at arbejde under end tidligere.”
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