in 1895. The island was most likely discovered by
Avaro Sanzze in 1584, though it was not settled. It was subsequently claimed for
Great Britain,
Spain,
Portugal and the
Netherlands. Throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the inhabitants of the
Dutch islands
Sint Eustatius and
Saba regularly visited Aves to collect turtle and bird eggs. The Netherlands laid claim to it starting in 1854, seeking to declare it united with the island of Saba, located 200 km away. The same year a U.S. captain discovered the abundant quantities of
guano on Aves and systematic collection started not long after. Both the Dutch and Venezuelan authorities found out and protested. The Dutch sent a warship to Aves. Its captain found Americans loading guano. He informed them that the Dutch considered Aves to belong to the Netherlands The Venezuelan government dismissed these demands, and in March 1856, the Dutch decided to dispatch a fleet of three warships to the port of
La Guaira, while also issuing an ultimatum to the Venezuelan government to respond to their demands regarding the sovereignty of the island, as well as to “negotiate” the terms of the alleged indemnities for the Jews expelled from
Coro. The island was once again involved in controversy in 1857 when three
Boston men, "Mesers Shelton, Samson and Tappan", were in a dispute with the Venezuelan government after they "annexed" the island "which they had discovered in an abandoned condition"; this was done in accordance with the recently passed
United States Guano Islands Act. In the meantime, in 1859, the Administrator of Sint Eustatius granted a concession to collect guano on Aves to ‘Edward Green, Kean & Co.’ of
Baltimore at f. 2.50 per ton. He decided that “
even though Aves was never permanently settled by the Dutch, the inhabitants of Statia and Saba had made use of the island longer than anyone can remember,” which “
constituted proof of possession.” He gave a provisionary concession and asked the Governor in Curaçao to confirm. The Governor, meanwhile, had received a request to mine guano on Aves from a group of businessmen on Dutch Sint Maarten, “
who had assured themselves that Aves was recognized as a possession of the Dutch government.” The Dutch authorities on
Curaçao, under whom Sint Eustatius and Saba fell, sat down with the Venezuelans and together decided to find a mutually acceptable sovereign to decide about the ownership of Aves Island. The Queen of
Spain was accepted by both parties, and in 1865
Isabella II ruled on the issue, deciding in favor of the Venezuelans. However, Isabella's judgment acknowledged the time-honoured rights of the inhabitants of the Dutch islands Saint Eustatius, Saba and
Sint Maarten to fish in the waters around Aves. As this was the main issue the Dutch had, they accepted the ruling. Later, some Dutch historians argued that Isabella's advisors could have mixed up Aves with
Las Aves Archipelago lying between
Bonaire and
Los Roques, just off the coast of Venezuela. From 1878 to 1912, the island was again occupied by American guano miners until supplies were exhausted. Isla de Aves was included in Venezuela's territorial reorganization done by President
Joaquín Crespo in 1895. By 1905, Isla de Aves was a municipality called "Municipio Oriental" part of Colón Federal Territory. In 1950, a
Venezuelan Navy fleet consisting of two patrol boats and one transport boat were sent to take control of the island with a group of soldiers. On June 2, 1978, ships of the Venezuelan Navy were sent to set up a scientific naval base named
Simón Bolívar on the lee (west) side near the southern tip of the island, constructed as a platform built on stilts partially in the water, which was permanently inhabited by a group of scientists and military personnel. '' on Isla de Aves Venezuela
United States–Venezuela Maritime Boundary Treaty On March 28, 1978, Venezuela, using Aves Island as its reference, agreed to its
maritime borders with the U.S. between Aves Island and Puerto Rico in the
United States–Venezuela Maritime Boundary Treaty; this treaty came into force on 24 November 1980 after it was ratified by both parties. The island is the closest Venezuelan territory to the United States, approximately from the U.S. island of
Saint Croix.
Agreement with France On June 17, 1980, Venezuela agreed with France that longitude 62°48′52″ W should be the
maritime boundary between Aves Island and Guadeloupe and Martinique.
2006 Dominica and Venezuela informal agreement During a visit to Venezuela, Dominica's Prime Minister
Roosevelt Skerrit, in June 2006, stated that
Aves Island belongs to Venezuela, unofficially ending the territorial claim.
Amateur radio "entity" Aves Island is a particularly rare
amateur radio "entity", under the ITU prefix YV0. A 2006 expedition by operators to the island required 14 years of planning. Though one member suffered a fatal heart attack, over 42,000 contacts were made during their week-long stay. ==See also==