711.428/506
The British Ambassador (Reading) to the Acting Secretary of
State
No. 213
Memorandum
His Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador presents his compliments to the
Acting Secretary of State and with reference to the memorandum from
the Department of State of the 25th of February last, on the subject
of the proposed publication of the draft treaty and regulations
prepared by the International Fisheries Conference, has the honour
to inform him that a communication has been received from the
Governor-General of Canada stating that, while it is hoped by the
Minister of the Naval Service that the two Governments will find it
possible to deal finally with the whole report of the Conference at
an early date, he considers it eminently desirable that those
engaged in the fishing industry in the Fraser River system should
know the nature of the proposals that are under consideration, in
order that, as far as is feasible, they may govern themselves
accordingly, and that, as there may be some modifications in form of
both the treaty and regulations, the best course to pursue would be
for the two Governments to publish an identic précis of the proposed treaty and regulations.
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The Canadian Minister of the Naval Service has therefore approved of
the précis, a copy of which is enclosed
herein, and His Majesty’s Ambassador will be grateful if the Acting
Secretary of State would inform him if the United States Government
approve of this, in order that the Canadian Government may be
advised by telegraph of the date on which it should be made public
in both countries.
Washington
, March 19, 1919.
[Enclosure]
Précis, for Publication, of Draft Treaty and
Regulations for the Fraser River System of Socheye Salmon
Fisheries
One of the subjects that was referred to the Canadian-American
Fisheries Conference, which was appointed last year to consider
a settlement of outstanding fishery questions between Canada and
the United States, was the Rehabilitation and Protection of the
Sock-eye Salmon of the Fraser River System, which system
embraces the waters of Juan de Fuca Strait and the lower portion
of the Gulf of Georgia, as well as the Fraser river itself.
The Commissioners unanimously recommended to their respective
Governments that a treaty for the proper regulation and
protection of this fishery be entered into forthwith, and in
order to facilitate consideration of the matter, they submitted
a draft of a proposed treaty and regulations thereunder. The
following is a synopsis thereof:
The proposed Treaty provides that it will apply only to the
sockeye salmon fisheries of the Fraser River System, which
embraces Juan de Fuca Strait, the southern portion of the Gulf
of Georgia and the Fraser river; that the Federal Governments of
both countries will be responsible for the enforcement of the
regulations under it; that an International Commission,
consisting of four persons, two from each country, shall be
appointed to conduct investigations into the life history of
sockeye salmon, hatchery methods, spawning grounds and other
related conditions, which Commission could also recommend, for
the consideration of the two Governments, modifications in the
regulations that experience may indicate as desirable; and that
the Treaty shall remain in force for fifteen years, and
thereafter until either Government wishes to discontinue it.
The Regulations contemplate the licensing of the fisheries by
Canada and the State of Washington, respectively, as heretofore;
that no greater number of licenses for any class of fishing
shall hereafter be issued in Washington State than was granted
in 1918, and that no more than 1800 gill-net licenses shall be
granted on the
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Canadian side; that licenses shall be restricted in Canada to
resident Canadians in British Columbia, or to companies licensed
to do business in the province, and in Washington State to
resident American citizens or to companies authorized to do
business in the State; that fishing shall be restricted in the
Fraser river to the portion thereof below Mission Bridge, and
that only bona fide resident land
holders, living along the river between New Westminster and
Mission Bridges, shall be allowed to fish in that portion of
that river; that from 1919 to 1926 inclusive, there will be an
annual close time for all salmon fishing from the 20tK to the
31st July inclusive; that the weekly close time on both sides
shall be thirty-six hours, except above New Westminster Bridge,
where it shall be sixty hours; that traps shall not be more than
2,500 feet long, with end passageways of 600 feet, and lateral
passageways of 2,400 feet, and in no instance block more than
two-thirds of the channel; that purse-seines shall not exceed
1,900 feet in length, and their use shall be restricted to
westward and southward of a line drawn from Trial Island Light,
British Columbia, to the North West Point of Whidby Island, and
that gill-nets shall not exceed 900 feet in length and sixty
meshes deep.
