International Halibut Treaty Gives Too Much Power To
Commission Declare Fishermen
From The Ketchikan Tribune
The halibut fishing vessel
owners of Ketchikan held a
meeting recently protesting the
entering of the pact between
Canada and the United States,
giving tiie Fish Commission full
regulatory powers to determine
the amount of halibut taken
from North Pacific waters and
the method of taking it.
A resolution to this effect was
drawn up and a second meeting
held later endorsed the resolu
tion. The resolution was sign
ed by the resident vessel owners
and forwarded to Delegate Dan
Sutherland at Washington.
A telegram informing Suther
land of the resolution was dis
patched and in his reply, Suth
erland stated he would obtain a
hearing on the resolution Janu
ary 5.
The Resolution follows:
Ketchikan, Alaska
Hon. Dan Sutherland,
Delegate to Congress from
Alaska
warning tun, ju. o.
Dear Mr. Sutherland:
We, the undersigned, resident
Alaska Halibut Vessel Owners
in meeting assembled this fif
teenth day of December, 1930,
respectfully submit to you, our
Delegate, the following resolu
tion unanimously adopted at
said meeting, and individually
signed by all members present:
WHEREAS, The International
Fisheries Commission, now en
gaged in the scientific study of
the North Pacific Halibut Fish
eries, has or will be asking Con
gress at its present session, to
enact a law in conjunction with
the Canadian Parliament, giving
to the Commission full regula
tory power to determine the
amount of halibut to be taken
from the North Pacific waters
and where and how such halibut
shall be taken by the fishing
fleet.
NOW, THEREFORE, we the
undersigned resident vessel own
ers of Alaska, do hereby go on
record as opposing such move
initiated by the International
Fisheries Commission with rea
sons set forth as follows:
1. The membership of the In
ternational Fisheries Com
mission as it now exists will
give to the Canadians undue
control of the fisheries of
the Gulf of Alaska where
they have very little inter
est since only an insignifi
cantly small portion of the
fleet is under Canadian re
gistry..
2. We deem further that the
provision in the proposed
Halibut Treaty which would
lengthen the present close
season on halibut from Nov.
15 to February 15 to begin
on Nov. 1, is economically
destructive to our interest
and would not in our prac
tical experience be contrib
utory to the propagation
nor conservation of the pre
sent supply of halibut.
-i. Should tne proposed Treaty
be enacted into law it will
undoubtedly tend to de
populate Alaska of its resi
dent fishing population and
along with the existing
Salmon Regulation curtail
further industrial activities
which depends on the fish
eries for their existence
4. We believe that scientifical
ly established areas con
taining the so-called Chick
en Halibut should be closed
to further exploitation. This
is in accordance with the
findings and recommenda
tions by the Commission
and would, in our estimation
together with the Closed
Season new in force, amply
provide for the conservation
of the North Pacific Halibut
Banks.
5. On the whole, we support
and endorse the Protest
made by the Fishing Vessel
Owners’ Association of Se
attle, Washington.
We are not opposed, however,
ro the scientific investigation
and further experimentations by
the International Fisheries Com
mission and do not deny its im
portance and usefulness, and
would therefore pray for its con
tinuance and support by our
government. We wish, never
theless, that its functions be
confined to those of informatory
and advisory capacity.
Now, therefore, we ask you,
cur Delegate to Congress, tc use
your utmost influence and abil
ity to cause the rejection of the
International Halibut Treaty
that is now adopted by the Can
adian Parliament, and proposed
to the United States Senate by
the International Fisheries Com
mission. Particularly we ask
you to present our views as con
tained herein to the Senate For
eign Relations Committee at the
time this Treaty will be taken
up for consideration.
X
BACK THE MEN WHO MAKE
THE CITY
From The Tribune, Ketchikan
-x
The owners of the halibut
fishing vessels of Ketchikan are
absolutely opposed to the rati
fication of the Fish Treaty with
Canada which would give the
Canadian fishermen equal repre