104 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 
sentatives of the fishing industry, and is designed to meet the new 
conditions that have arisen since the law of June 26, 1906, was 
passed. It is believed that the essential features of the bill, if 
enacted into law, will insure the perpetuation of the Alaskan fisheries 
at their maximum productivity and will yield to Federal and Terri- 
torial Governments a handsome revenue. Up to the close of the 
fiscal year the measure had not been acted on by the committee, but 
this was subsequently done, and a favorable report was ordered on 
a revised bill introduced by Mr. Alexander on August 18. 
The halibut fishery, which ranks next to the salmon industry in 
importance and is capable of still further expansion, is reported to 
be injuriously affected as an Alaskan industry by the unusual course 
followed by the Canadian Government for the promotion of the 
interests of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad and its western ter- 
minus, Prince Rupert. The matter has had the attention of the 
Department of Commerce, in cooperation with other executive depart- 
ments, and the decision has been reached that legislative action is 
required to prevent the diversion of the Alaskan halibut fishery, 
whose output goes only to the American market, from Alaska to 
British Columbia. The Bureau has, therefore, approved a measure, 
introduced in Congress, which is intended to meet the peculiar geo- 
graphic and economic conditions surrounding the fishery. Under 
the terms of the proposed bill, fresh halibut (and salmon) from the 
Pacific Ocean and its tributaries coming into the United States through 
a foreign country must be shipped in bond from an American port. 
On June 3, 1916, the Senate passed a bill for the protection and 
conservation of the halibut fishery of the Pacifie Ocean, which in- 
cludes the establishment of a close season for halibut fishing in cer- 
tain waters and places restrictions on the landing of halibut during 
that time. The chief feature of the bill is the fixing of a close season 
during the months of December and January, when all fishing for 
halibut in any of the waters of the Pacific Ocean or its tributaries 
over which the United States has jurisdiction is prohibited. The 
bill also provides for a reserved area off the coast of southeast Alaska, 
in which fishing for halibut is prohibited at all times. This area is 
defined definitely in the bill, but, briefly, it may be described as a 
rectangular area of water about 19 miles long and averaging 15 miles 
in width extending offshore between Cape Lynch and Cape Adding- 
ton. Its area is approximately 290 square nautical miles. The 
bill provides that it shall take effect as soon as possible after the 
enactment of concurrent or essentially similar regulations by Canada, 
and that if at any time after due investigation it is the opinion of the 
Secretary of Commerce that the regulations adopted by Canada are 
inadequate either as to their provisions or enforcement he is author- 
ized and directed to suspend the operations of the act until such time 
as he may be satisfied that such provisions and their enforcement 
have been made adequate for the protection of the halibut fishery. 
Violations of the measure are punishable by a fine not exceedin 
$1,000 or by imprisonment for not more than 90 days. Vessels an 
their catch may be seized and held subject to the payment of fines. 
This bill embodies the Bureau’s views, and its passage will, it is be- 
lieved, meet with general favor alike with the American and Canadian 
halibut fishing interests, which have advocated most of the principles 
set forth in the bill. 
