6 SALMON GEAR LIMITATION 



runs, but only part of the silvers and chinooks which also are caught 

 in major quantities by the commercial troll, the recreational, and 

 Indian subsistence fisheries. 



These runs are shared by British Columbia and Washington 

 fishermen. The sockeye and pink salmon runs to the Fraser River 

 are under regulation by the International Pacific Salmon Commis- 

 sion, which provides for equal catches by the fishermen from the 

 two countries. These two species provide the majority of the income 

 to the fishermen. 



The regulation of sockeye salmon by the Salmon Commission 

 has been strikingly successful from the standpoint of conservation. 

 Runs during recent years have been among the three largest for 

 each cycle since the disastrous slide in 1913 and the very large run 

 in 1958 produced the all-time record catch for that cycle. 



The regulation of pink salmon has only recently become the 

 responsibility of the Salmon Commission, and the relative success 

 of their regulation is not yet apparent. However, their approach to 

 the regulation is based on extensive research, and it may be expected 

 that the Commission will be permitting the maximum catches of 

 pink salmon that the stocks can produce. 



Summary of the Treaty 



The Sockeye Salmon Fisheries Convention was ratified in 1937. 

 It applies to the territorial waters and high seas westward of Canada 

 and the United States from a line between Bonilla Point, Vancouver 

 Island, and Tatoosh Island, Washington. It includes all such waters 

 between 48 and 49 degrees north latitude, excepting Barkley Sound 

 and Nitinat Lake. Eastward of this line, it includes the Strait of 

 Juan de Fuca, the Strait of Georgia as far as Lasqueti Island — 

 excepting Howe Sound and the waters east of Whidbey Island — 

 and the Fraser River and its tributaries. (Fig. 1.) 



Regulations enacted by the International Pacific Salmon Fish- 

 eries Commission are enforced within the territories of each nation 

 solely by the government of that nation. The Commission has no 

 power to authorize any type of fishing gear contrary to laws of the 

 State of Washington or the Dominion of Canada. 



The Convention required research for eight years before power 

 to regulate the catch was given to the Commission. During this 

 time studies were made of the salmon runs and of the river, and 



