This map, designed by Fred W. Rose and drawn by Matthew Bede Hewerdine, was published in London in January 1899.

With the title Fishing in troubled waters, this map is, next to the famous octopus map, Rose's best-known work. It is a satirical map, with propagandist overtones, showing the political situation in Europe at the end of the 19th century. The major powers are depicted as fishermen angling towards their areas of influence or colonial possessions, while the tension between the different countries is shown:

• The Russian Empire, depicted by Tsar Nicholas II, extends an olive branch towards Europe, while casting his rod towards China and carrying on his back multiple fish labelled with his most recent conquests.
• The British Empire, portrayed by John Bull, is fishing for a crocodile named Egypt, a reference to recent colonial campaigns in the region.
• France The Dreyfus affair, according to the legend on the map, is a struggle not to lose its fishery.
• Germany, depicting Kaiser Wilhelm II, holds in his lap a fish called Kiau Chau, a reference to the bay and the small colonial territory he had established in China in 1898.
• The Ottoman Empire is reclining, with a skull on his knee representing Armenia. This detail refers to the Hamidian massacres of Armenians that took place between 1894 and 1896.
• Sweden y Norway are represented by two dogs fighting each other. This alludes to the tensions that existed in the union, which ended up dissolving in 1905.
• United States is not labelled on the map, it has three fish trapped in the lower left: Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico, a reference to the possessions it had seized from Spain in 1898.

Multiple editions of this map were made and more than 15,000 copies were sold. It was translated into German, French and Italian, also reflecting the intention to reach a European audience.

Sources

• Angling in Troubled Waters: A Serio-Comic Map of Europe