File No. 3767/5.
(Same mutatis mutandis to: Belgium, Chile, China, Denmark, France,
Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands,
Norway, Russia, Siam, Spain, Sweden, Venezuela.)
[Inclosure.]
[Public—No. 20.]
AN ACT To amend the act approved August nineteenth,
eighteen hundred and ninety, entitled “An act to adopt regulations
for preventing collisions at sea.”
Be it enacted by the Seriate and House of
Representatives of the United States of America in Congress
assembled, That the act approved August nineteenth,
eighteen hundred and ninety, entitled “An act to adopt regulations
for preventing collisions at sea,” be, and hereby is, amended by
inserting therein the following:
Article 9. Fishing vessels and fishing
boats, when under way and when not required by this article to carry
or show the lights hereinafter specified, shall carry or show the
lights prescribed for vessels of their tonnage under way.
“(a) Open boats, by which is to be understood boats not protected
from the entry of sea water by means of a continuous deck, when
engaged in any fishing
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at
night, with outlying tackle extending not more than one hundred and
fifty feet horizontally from the boat into the seaway, shall carry
one all-round white light.
“Open boats, when fishing at night, with outlying tackle extending
more than one hundred and fifty feet horizontally from the boat into
the seaway, shall carry one all-round white light, and in addition,
on approaching or being approached by other vessels, shall show a
second white light at least three feet below the first light and at
a horizontal distance of at least five feet away from it in the
direction in which the outlying tackle is attached.
“(b) Vessels and boats, except open boats as defined in subdivision
(a), when fishing with drift nets, shall, so long as the nets are
wholly or partly in the water, carry two white lights where they can
best be seen. Such lights shall be placed so that the vertical
distance between them shall be not less than six feet and not more
than fifteen feet, and so that the horizontal distance between them,
measured in a line with the keel, shall be not less than five feet
and not more than ten feet. The lower of these two lights shall be
in the direction of the nets, and both of them shall be of such a
character as to show all around the horizon, and to be visible at a
distance of not less than three miles.
“Within the Mediterranean Sea and in the seas bordering the coasts of
Japan and Korea sailing fishing vessels of less than twenty tons
gross tonnage shall not be obliged to carry the lower of these two
lights. Should they, however, not carry it, they shall show in the
same position (in the direction of the net or gear) a white “light,
visible at a distance of not less than one sea mile, on the approach
of or to other vessels.
“(c) Vessels and boats, except open boats as defined in subdivision
(a), when line fishing with their lines out and attached to or
hauling their lines, and when not at anchor or stationary within the
meaning of subdivision (h), shall carry the same lights as vessels
fishing with drift nets. When shooting lines, or fishing with towing
lines, they shall carry the lights prescribed for a steam or sailing
vessel under way, respectively.
“Within the Mediterranean Sea and in the seas bordering the coasts of
Japan and Korea sailing fishing vessels of less than twenty tons
gross tonnage shall not be obliged to carry the lower of these two
lights. Should they, however, not carry it, they shall show in the
same position (in the direction of the lines) a white light, visible
at a distance of not less than one sea mile on the approach of or to
other vessels.
“(d) Vessels when engaged in trawling, by which is meant the dragging
of an apparatus along the bottom of the sea—
- “First. If steam vessels, shall carry in the same position
as the white light mentioned in article two (a) a
tri-colored lantern so constructed and fixed as to show a
white light from right ahead to two points on each bow, and
a green light and a red light over an arc of the horizon
from two points on each bow to two points abaft the beam on
the starboard and port sides, respectively; and not less
than six nor more than twelve feet below the tri-colored
lantern a white light in a lantern, so constructed as to
show a clear, uniform, and unbroken light all around the
horizon.
- “Second. If sailing vessels, shall carry a white light in
a lantern, so constructed as to show a clear, uniform, and
unbroken light all around the horizon, and shall also, on
the approach of or to other vessels, show where it can best
be seen a white flare-up light or torch in sufficient time
to prevent collision.
“All lights mentioned in subdivision (d) first and second shall be
visible at a distance of at least two miles.
“(e) Oyster dredgers and other vessels fishing with dredge nets shall
carry and show the same lights as trawlers.
“(f) Fishing vessels and fishing boats may at any time use a flare-up
light in addition to the lights which they are by this article
required to carry and show, and they may also use working
lights.
“(g) Every fishing vessel and every fishing boat under one hundred
and fifty feet in length, when at anchor, shall exhibit a white
light visible all around the horizon at a distance of at least one
mile.
“Every fishing vessel of one hundred and fifty feet in length or
upward, when at anchor, shall exhibit a white light visible all
around the horizon at a distance of at least one mile, and shall
exhibit a second light as provided for vessels of such length by
article eleven.
“Should any such vessel, whether under one hundred and fifty feet in
length or of one hundred and fifty feet in length or upward, be
attached to a net or other fishing gear, she shall on the approach
of other vessels show an additional
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white light at least three feet below the anchor
light, and at a horizontal distance of at least five feet away from
it in the direction of the net or gear.
“(h) If a vessel or boat when fishing becomes stationary in
consequence of her gear getting fast to a rock or other obstruction,
she shall in daytime haul down the day signal required by
subdivision (k); at night show the light or lights prescribed for a
vessel at anchor; and during fog, mist, falling snow, or heavy rain
storms make the signal prescribed for a vessel at anchor. (See
subdivision (d) and the last paragraph of article fifteen.)
“(i) In fog, mist, falling snow, or heavy rain storms drift-net
vessels attached to their nets, and vessels when trawling, dredging,
or fishing with any kind of drag net, and vessels line fishing with
their lines out, shall, if of twenty tons gross tonnage or upward,
respectively, at intervals of not more than one minute make a blast;
if steam vessels, with the whistle or siren; and if sailing vessels,
with the foghorn, each blast to be followed by ringing the bell.
Fishing vessels and boats of less than twenty tons gross tonnage
shall not be obliged to give the above-mentioned signals; but if
they do not, they shall make some other efficient sound signal at
intervals of not more than one minute.
“(k) All vessels or boats fishing with nets or lines or trawls, when
under way, shall in daytime indicate their occupation to an
approaching vessel by displaying a basket or other efficient signal
where it can best be seen. If vessels or boats at anchor have their
gear out, they shall, on the approach of other vessels, show the
same signal on the side on which those vessels can pass.
“The vessels required by this article to carry or show the lights
hereinbefore specified shall not be obliged to carry the lights
prescribed by article four (a) and the last paragraph of article
eleven.”
- Sec. 2. That article ten of the act
approved March third, eighteen hundred and eighty-five, entitled
“An act to adopt the revised international regulations for
preventing collisions at sea,” and the act approved August
thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, entitled “An act
relating to lights on fishing vessels,” are hereby
repealed.
- Sec. 3. That this act shall take
effect on the first day of January, nineteen hundred and
eight.
Approved, January 19,
1907.
