9. The Turbot War: Gunboat Diplomacy in the 1990s
In 1995, Canadian officers seized the Spanish trawler Estai in international waters. The vessel was allegedly overfishing the endangered Greenland turbot. The U.S. sided with Spain against Canada in this unusual conflict. Canadian patrol vessels cut Spanish nets while warships from both sides converged on the Grand Banks. This modern “fish war” highlighted how resource management could still provoke serious international incidents.
