711.428/2066
The British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Hoare) to the American Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Bingham)39
Your Excellency: In a memorandum dated the 18th November last which Your Excellency was so good as to leave with me on the 21st November, it was explained that the Governments of the United States and of Canada had concluded a Treaty in 1923 and again in 1930 for the preservation of the halibut fishery in the Northern Pacific Ocean, and the fear was expressed lest the projected despatch of the British steamship Thorland to participate in the fishing in those waters might, both in itself and by serving as an example to others, lead rapidly to the depletion and finally to the practical extinction of the fishery.
- 2.
- I have the honour to inform you in reply that full consideration has been given by His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom to the views set forth in Your Excellency’s memorandum, and that His Majesty’s Government appreciate the anxiety of the United States Government that the good results achieved by the Convention of 1930 should not be adversely affected by the activities of fishing vessels sailing under the flags of States which were not parties to that Convention, [Page 190] since, in the opinion of His Majesty’s Government, that Convention was conceived on eminently sound lines.
- 3.
- With regard to the proposed expedition of the steamship Thorland to those waters, enquiries have been made of the owners of the vessel, who have explained that it is their desire to obtain for the United Kingdom market a supply of frozen halibut of good quality, but they have found it impossible, notwithstanding discussions with the Canadian interests concerned, to arrange for obtaining supplies of the desired quality, and accordingly they consider that the only method of obtaining such supplies is to send their vessel to the fishing grounds and to undertake their own freezing operations. It has been impressed upon the firm that it is most important that no action should be taken which would interfere with the good results of the Convention between Canada and the United States for the protection of the halibut fishery, and the firm have given assurances that they will conform voluntarily to all the regulations under the Convention. In the circumstances there would seem to be very little risk of damage being done to the halibut fisheries as a result of the operations of the vessel.
- 4.
- As regards the possibility of the example of the Thorland being followed by other vessels, His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom have no reason to think that any other ships registered in the United Kingdom are likely to seek to take part in the fishery. So far as foreign vessels are concerned, it does not seem likely that the position would be affected by the participation in the fishery of the Thorland.
- 5.
- I should explain that in the absence of any general Convention regulating the fisheries in the waters in question to which His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom are a party, it would not be practicable to take any action to restrain the owners of the Thorland from sending a vessel on this expedition. Indeed it would be contrary to the policy of His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom to attempt to restrain the activities of the fishing industry of the United Kingdom in its reasonable use of fishing grounds in any area outside territorial waters. Should, however, it appear hereafter that there was a serious risk of other United Kingdom vessels taking part in the fishery in a manner likely to have prejudicial effects, a new situation would clearly arise and His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom would be glad to discuss with the United States Government the possibility of making arrangements for dealing with it.
I have [etc.]
- Transmitted to the Department by the Chargé in the United Kingdom in his despatch No. 2812, January 28; received February 6.↩