Troubled waters : the role of the New England fishing interests in Canadian-American fishing treaties 1888/1981

The failure of diplomatic efforts to resolve fishery disputes between Canada and the United States in the North Atlantic is examined from a regional point of view. Two treaties - the Bayard-Chamberlain Treaty of 1888 and the East Coast Boundary and Management Treaties of 1981 - are the focus of the study. Although the two treaties occur almost one hundred years apart, the conditions and underlying causes resulting in their defeats are strikingly similar. In both cases, treaty defeats are attributed to the opposition of the New England fishing interests who believed the treaties detrimental to their industry. Because of the ratification process in the United States,the political pressure brought to bear on the Senate by the fishermen's lobbies resulted in regional prevailing over national concerns. When this happened, relations between Canada and the United States suffered.