American Tuna by Andrew F. Smith

Author:Andrew F. Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 2012-09-22T04:00:00+00:00

HOSTILITIES COMMENCE

After World War II, new long-range tuna clippers began to be constructed in the United States, and these vessels once again headed south. By the early 1950s, numerous American tuna boats were fishing off the South American coast, well within the 200-mile zone claimed by Peru, Ecuador, and Chile. The three countries warned American tuna-boat captains that they needed to buy licenses and pay fees. The Americans, at the recommendation of the U.S. State Department, refused to do so. In August 1952, Ecuador began seizing American tuna boats fishing off its coast beyond the traditional three-mile limit but within the 200-mile limit proclaimed by Ecuador. In October, it seized two more boats, requiring them to buy licenses and pay fines.19 As the seizures escalated, the U.S. Congress passed the Fishermen’s Protective Act, directing the federal government to pay any fine levied on an American vessel by any nation while fishing in international waters beyond the traditionally recognized three miles. An additional clause authorized the secretary of state “to make claims against the foreign countries for amounts expended under the Act because of the seizure of a United States vessel.”20 Ecuador and Peru halted their seizure of American tuna boats.

But in early 1955, the Peruvian and Ecuadorian navies again began seizing American boats. After the incident involving the Arctic Maid and the wounding of William Peck, the United States requested a meeting in Santiago with representatives of the governments of Chile, Peru, and Ecuador. The United States offered these countries the right to the fish within 12 miles of their coasts, as well as shared fishing responsibility with the United States for the remaining 188 miles. The three South American countries refused, and the negotiations broke down. The American Tunaboat Association (ATA) met privately with Peruvian officials and paid the licensing fees for American tuna boats to fish within the 200-mile exclusion zone. When Chile began seizing U.S. tuna boats in 1957, the ATA once again reached an agreement with the Chilean government. These agreements created a truce that lasted until 1962.21

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