EIGHTS TO PROTECT INTERESTS AND INDUSTRY. 165 



fishing: for chanks, beches-de mer, corals, or shells within an area lying 

 inside of a straight line drawn up and down the coast, the ends being; 

 distant 6 miles from shore, and the most remote point being - distant 

 over 20 miles from shore. Forfeiture, fine, and imprisonment were the 

 penalties prescribed. This regulation is still in force. (No. 18, 1890, 

 an ordinance relating to chanks.) (For copies of these acts, see Case 

 of the United States, App., Vol. i, p. 461.) 



An act passed in 1888 by the federal council of Australia extended 

 (with respect to British vessels) the local regulations of Queensland 

 on the subject of the pearl fisheries to an area of open sea off the coast 

 of Australia, varying in width from 12 to 250 marine miles. Fines, seiz. 

 ures, and forfeitures were the penalties prescribed. (5L Vict., No. 1.) 



An act passed in 1889 by the federal council of Australia extended 

 (with respect to British vessels) the local regulations of western Aus- 

 tralia on the subject of the pearl fisheries to an area of open sea off the 

 northwestern coast of Australia lying within a parallelogram of which 

 the northwestern corner is 500 marine miles from the coast. (52 Vict., 

 4th Feb., 18S9, Case of the United States, App., Vol. i, p. 468.) 



Similar restrictions upon the pearl fisheries in the open sea have been 

 likewise interposed by the Government of Colombia. 



A decree by the governor of Panama in the United States of Colom- 

 bia, in 1890, prohibited the use of diving machines for the collection of 

 pearls within a section of the Gulf of Panama, which is between GO and 

 70 marine miles in width, and of which the most remote point is 30 ma- 

 rine miles from the main land. (Gaceta de Panama, February 6, 1890 

 Case of the United States, App., Vol. i, p. 485.) 



Legislation of the same character has also taken place in France and 

 Italy in reference to coral reefs in the open sea and outside the juris- 

 dictional limits. 



The French law of 1864 relating to the coral fisheries of Algeria and 

 Tunis required all fishermen to take out licenses to fish anywhere on 

 the coral banks, which extend into the Mediterranean 7 miles from 

 shore. In addition to this license all foreign fishermen were required 

 to take out patents from the Government, for which a considerable sum 

 had to be paid; and by the recent act of 1888, foreign fishermen are pre- 

 cluded entirely from fishing within 3 miles from shore, apparently leav- 

 ing the former regulations in force with respect to such portions of the 

 coral banks as lie outside of those limits. (Journal Orficiel, March 2 

 1888), (Case of the United States, App., Vol. I, p. 469.) 



