According to William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, the "superior excellence" of whale and sturgeon made them uniquely suited for the monarch's use.
The monarch's right to royal fish was recognized by a statute enacted in 1324, during the reign of Edward II, that applied to whales and sturgeon.
Under current law, the Receiver of Wreck is the official appointed to take possession of royal fish when they arrive on English shores.
The law of royal fish continues to excite some notice and occasional use, as evidenced when a fisherman caught and sold a sturgeon in Swansea Bay in 2004.
[7] After informing of the sturgeon to Queen Elizabeth II, the fisherman, a man named Robert Davies, received notice that he could use the 264lb catch 'as he saw fit'.