REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES VII 



the port authorities have reasonable grounds to believe that the master has 

 obtained his cargo in violation of the laws of either of the high contracting 

 parties, the regulations which may be adopted, or the provisions of this 

 convention. Fines may be imposed in such cases or such cargoes thus illegally 

 obtained may be declared forfeited and sold at auction to the highest bidder. 

 Any proceeds therefrom shall be regarded as belonging to the high contracting 

 parties in equal moieties and to the extent that may be determined by the 

 high contracting parties to be necessary shall be made available for use in 

 payment of the salaries and expenses of the commission as provided for in 

 Article XI of this convention. 



The International Fisheries Commission will inform and will keep informed 

 all port authorities of both nations concerning any and all regulations which 

 may have been established. 



Article XV provides that " the convention shall come into effect 

 at the expiration of 10 days from the date of its publication in con- 

 formity with the laws of the high contracting parties, and it shall 

 remain in force for 1 year. If, upon the expiration of 1 year after 

 the convention shall have been in force, no notice is given by either 

 party of a desire to terminate the same it shall continue in force 

 until 30 days after either party shall have given notice to the other 

 of a desire to terminate the convention." 



The members of the fisheries commission provided for under the 

 convention are : For the United States, Henry O'Malley, United 

 States Commissioner of Fisheries, chairman; N. B. Scofield, in 

 charge, department of commercial fisheries, California fish and 

 game commission. For Mexico : Jose R. Alcaraz, director of forests, 

 game, and fisheries; and Carlos E. Bernstein, chief of the inspection 

 service and of game and fisheries in the north and on the west coast 

 of Lower California. 



The first formal meeting of this commission was held at Los 

 Angeles, Calif., on June 21, 1926. Provision was made for a com- 

 plete survey, by experts, of general fisheries conditions in the terri- 

 tory covered by the treaty and the submission of definite results 

 to the commission without delay. 



For the United States' share of expenses in the fiscal year 1927 

 Congress has appropriated $30,000. The Mexican Government 

 appropriated 178,000 pesos as its estimated share in the proposed 

 work. 



PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE ON OIL POLLUTION OF NAVIGABLE W r ATERS 



A joint resolution of Congress (Pub. Res. No. 65, 67th Cong., 

 H. J. Res. 297) approved by the President on July 1, 1922, setting 

 forth the effects of oil dumped in navigable waters, requested the 

 President to call a conference of " maritime nations with a view to 

 the adoption of effective means for the prevention of pollution of 

 navigable waters." This resolution includes reference to the de- 

 struction of ocean fisheries. On August 7*, 1922, there was formed, 

 with a representative of the State Department as chairman, an inter- 

 departmental committee " to study the problem of oil pollution of 

 navigable waters, with a view to preparing the way for the calling 

 of an international conference as contemplated in the joint resolu- 

 tion." The Bureau of Fisheries has been represented in the delibera- 

 tions of that committee, which continued to function up to the time 

 of the Preliminary Conference on Oil Pollution of Navigable Waters, 

 held in Washington, D. C, June 8 to 16, 1926, and has aided in 

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