Nice lady with really big fishes celebrates a birthday

We hate to break the news to you, but if you're fishing anywhere in the waters around the United Kingdom and you catch a sturgeon or a dolphin or a porpoise or a whale, it belongs to this really nice lady.

There's an old law dating back to 1324 that states that the British crown "shall have ... whales and sturgeons taken in the sea or elsewhere within the realm."

Any such catch made within three miles of the UK shoreline, or washed ashore, living or dead, is considered 'Fishes Royal.'

Now, we're pleased to report that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II doesn't take that statute all that seriously and she really isn't interested in seizing all those dead fishes.

So sturgeons brought into British ports are usually sold in the usual fashion and the buyer, as a technical gesture of loyalty, asks for the honour of its being accepted by the Queen.

All of which is a very long-winded way of getting around to telling you that Friday is the Queen's 80th birthday, and SooToday.com has just given her a place of honour (beside Mac Headrick) on our Editorials page.

We've created a special editorial forum to allow our readers to send their birthday wishes to the Queen.

We're especially interested in hearing from those of you who remember the Royal Couple's visit to Sault Ste. Marie in 1959.

To pass along your best wishes, or tell us about the time you saw Her Royal Highness in the Sault or anywhere else, please click here.