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

season the weather was not favourable and the outcome that year of the
fishery was not as positive as the expectations.
Through the 1930s the Faroese had with good reason protested about
conditions in Greenland, for instance the lack of modern repair facilities
for ships at Færøhavn, better lighting and the need for a small hospital
there etc. The hospital was built in 1937. 165 Anyway, in spite of all
obstacles, Table II and III demonstrate how much the opening of the
Greenlandic waters meant to the Faroe Nation in the Inter-War Years.
That opening was due to Danish goodwill and understanding of the
Faroese problems which often came into conflict with considerations,
which were just as reasonable, for the welfare of the Greenlanders.
In the Second World War, the British occupation of the Faroe Islands
and the German occupation of Denmark divided the two peoples for five
years. Under great dangers and huge casualties in life and shipment the
Faroese once again fished the nearby banks and sold the catch to Britain.
Nobody in five years thought of fishing off Greenland.
Conclusion
In the 15 years between the first Faroese claims to fishing rights off
Greenland and 1939 we have seen an unusual political unanimity on the
matter among the Faroese. Already in 1924 most of the major points had
been put forward: (1) there was cod off Greenland, (2) the fishery at
Iceland was diminishing, (3) the Danish-Norwegian Greenland Treaty
provoked Danish subjects (i.e. the Faroese), (4) the Faroese fishing fleet
was outdated, (5) the historical-popular arguments of Patursson, (6) the
deterioration of the home fishery. To those arguments were added only
two; first, that the world crisis after 1930 really hit the fish industry;
second, that some sort of occupation had to be found for the small-boat
fishermen (and that could be obtained from land stations in Greenland).
Political and public opinion in Denmark took the constantly
worsening economic situation of the ordinary Faroese families very
councils had to be consulted before a date for the practice of the law could be stipulated,
finally it was announced to 1 July, 1939. It became more difficult than anticipated to get
the approval of the Greenlandic councils in the spring of 1939, but in the end they gave in
to the united pressure of the ‘sheriffs’ (Danish chairmen of the councils) and Grønlands
Styrelse.
165 Many of the calamities and miserable conditions for the Faroese fishermen at
Greenland are dealt with by E. Patursson, Fiskiveiði, 265-293. He does not mention that
the Faroese, against strong Greenland protests, in 1939 achieved what they for many
years had fought for and got it with the broadest possible backing from Denmark.
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