Provincial Fisheries Reference

The Provincial Fisheries Reference was a lawsuit decided in 1898 by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC). It arose from a government turf war in Canada over the jurisdictional boundaries of property rights in relation to rivers, lakes, harbours, fisheries, and other cognate subjects. The 12-page judgment was delivered by Lord Hershell, and followed on from R v Robertson (1882). This case in the JCPC was an amalgamation of three separate Supreme Court of Canada appeals, which were grouped into one because of their similarities. The judgment broke little ground, and can be considered a ringing affirmation of the Strong court.