62 ARGUMENT OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



It would not be equitable that restrictions upon the rights 

 of other nations should be demanded solely for the purpose 

 of enhancing the benefit to be derived by the United iStates 

 from their possession of the islands. The least that can be 

 suggested is that, concurrently with the establishment of 

 such Regulations as are applicable to pelagic sealing, and 

 in order to induce other nations, who are not parties to this 

 Arbitration, to concur in, and give effect to, any Regula- 

 tions, a reasonable limit to the slaughter of seals on the 

 breeding-islands and proper provisions for its conduct should 

 be made by the United States. 



The Regulations for the islands which the United States 

 may be willing to make must, it is submitted, have an impor- 

 tant effect upon the judgment of the Arbitrators as to what 

 pelagic Regulations would be reasonable or necessary, and 

 it is further submitted that it is within the competence of 

 this Tribunal to make the latter Regulations dependent or 

 conditional on the former. 



To apply restrictions to pelagic sealing, without effective 

 and concurrent Regulations being enforced on the breeding 

 haunts, would be as unreasonable and useless as the insti- 

 tution of restrictions over a coastal or estuary salmon fish- 

 ery, while the salmon on the si)awning-beds of the river 

 were being taken without let or hindrance. 



It is contended on behalf of the United States that the 

 management of the islands in the jiast had been properly 

 controlled and conducted with due regard to the protection 

 of seal life. Her Majesty's Government are unable to con- 

 cur in that view. For reasons that have been stated at 

 length in the Counter-Gase, in reply to the contentions in 

 the United States Gase, it is submitted that the excessive 

 killing of seals on theislands during a long series of years 

 has contributed largely to, and has been in all probability 

 the main cause of diminution in numbers. Be this as it 

 may, in view of the experience of the past, the number of 

 seals to be killed in each year ui^on the Pribyloff Islands 

 ought to be limited, and the methods jjursued there con- 

 trolled, in accordance with the actual condition of seal life, 

 and subject to periodical review by independent Govern- 

 ment Agents. 

 71 Finally, it is submitted for the consideration of 



the Tribunal that the imperfect knowledge even now 

 possessed as to the habits and conditions of seal life in 

 many essential particulars makes it important to consider 

 how far it is safe to lay down Regulations unlimited in 

 duration until wider experience of their operation has been 

 acquired. 



