INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS OF FISHERIES ON THE HIGH SEAS. 165 
Art. XV. Boats arriving on the fishing grounds shall not either place themselves or shoot their 
nets in such a way as to injure each other, or as to interfere with fishermen who have already commenced 
their operations. 
Art. XVI. Whenever, with a view of drift-net fishing, decked boats and undecked boats commence 
shooting their nets at the same time, the undecked boats shall shoot their nets to windward of the 
decked boats. 
The decked boats, on their part, shall shoot their nets to leeward of the undecked boats. 
As a rule, if decked boats shoot their nets to windward of undecked boats which have begun fishing, 
or if undecked boats shoot their nets to leeward of decked boats which have begun fishing, the responsi- 
bility as regards any damages to nets which may result shall rest with the boats which last began fishing, 
unless they can prove that they were under stress of compulsory circumstances, or that the damage was 
not caused by their fault. 
Art. XVII. No net or any other fishing engine shall be set or anchored on grounds where drift-net 
fishing is actually going on. 
ArT. XVIII. No fisherman shall make fast or hold on his boat to the nets, buoys, floats, or any 
other part of the fishing tackle of another fisherman. 
Art. XIX. When trawl fishermen are in sight of drift-net or of long-line fishermen, they shall take 
all necessary steps in order to avoid doing injury to the latter. Where damage is caused, the responsi- 
bility shall lie on the trawlers, unless they can prove that they were under stress of compulsory circum- 
stances, or that the loss sustained did not result from their fault. 
Art. XX. When nets belonging to different fishermen get foul of each other, they shall not be cut 
without the consent of both parties. 
All responsibility shall cease if the impossibility of disengaging the nets by any other means is 
proved. 
Art. XXI. When a boat fishing with long lines entangles her lines in those of another boat, the 
person who hauls up the lines shall not cut them except under stress of compulsory circumstances, in 
which case any line which may be cut shall be immediately joined together again. 
Art. XXII. Except in cases of salvage and the cases to which the two preceding articles relate, 
no fisherman shall, under any pretext whatever, cut, hook, or lift up nets, lines, or other gear not 
belonging to him. 
Art. XXIII. The use of any instrument or engine which serves only to cut or destroy nets is 
forbidden. 
The presence of any such engine on board a boat is also forbidden. 
The high contracting parties engage to take the necessary measures for preventing the embarka- 
tion of such engines on board fishing boats. 
Art. XXIV. Fishing boats shall conform to the general rules respecting lights which have been, 
or may be, adopted by mutual arrangement between the high contracting parties with the view of 
preventing collisions at sea. 
Art. XXV. All fishing boats, all their small boats, all rigging gear or other appurtenances of fish- 
ing boats, all nets, lines, buoys, floats, or other fishing implements whatsoever found or picked up at 
sea, whether marked or unmarked, shall as soon as possible be delivered to the competent authority of 
the first port to which the salving boat returns or puts in. 
; Such authority shall inform the consul or consular agent of the country to which the boat of the 
salvor belongs, and of the nation of the owner of the articles found. They [the same authority] shall 
restore the articles to the owners thereof or to their representatives, as soon as such articles are claimed 
and the interests of the salvors have been properly guaranteed. 
The administrative or judicial authorities, according as the laws of the different countries may 
provide, shall fix the amount which the owners shall pay to the salvors. 
It is, however, agreed that this provision shall not in any way prejudice such conventions respect- 
ing this matter as are already in force, and that the high contracting parties reserve the right of regulat- 
ing, by special arrangements between themselves, the amount of salvage at a fixed rate per net salved. 
Fishing implements of any kind found unmarked shall be treated as wreck. 
ArT. XXVI. The superintendence of the fisheries shall be exercised by vessels belonging to the 
national navies of the high contracting parties. In the case of Belgium, such vessels may be vessels 
belonging to the State, commanded by captains who hold commissions. 
