106 PACIFIC SALMON FISHERIES. 
Fishing rights in the gulfs and bays not included in the Russo- 
Japanese convention, such as Peter the Great Bay, Imperial Har- 
bor, Vanina Bay, Avatchinsk Bay, and others, as well as the rivers 
of Okhotsk and Kamchatka, are granted by the Governor General, 
without public tenders, to persons of good repute, but for one year 
only, and if they show their ability to establish a successful fishing 
station a lease for 12 years can be secured on the basis of paying a 
royalty of 24 cents per pood (36.112 pounds) of prepared fish. Un- 
der the terms of the lease only Russian subjects can be employed at 
the stations, while all sailing vessels serving the stations must be 
under the Russian flag. 
The regulations governing the river districts vary from those re- 
lating to coast concessions, and also vary from each other, as the 
local authorities in the river districts are authorized to issue tempo- 
rary rules and regulations to cover local conditions. 
On the Amur River, within the boundaries of the Nikolaievsk, 
Mariinsk, and Khabarovsk districts, the fishing stations are leased 
by public auction to the highest bidder, some on a long-term basis 
and others for only one year. At stations above the city of Nikola- 
ievsk, within 30 miles of the Amur estuary and farther, no foreign 
labor is allowed. Below the city of Nikolaievsk foreign labor can be 
employed to handle the fish on shore, but the actual fishing can be 
done only by Russian subjects. 
At the present time the chief aim of the Russian authorities is to 
break the monopoly the Japanese have of the fisheries along the 
greater part of the coast. This will be an exceedingly difficult thing 
to do, owing to the proximity of the Japanese to the Siberian coast, 
the ease with which they can transport by water the necessary sup- 
plies, etc., for carrying on the fisheries, the vastly greater skill in 
carrying on this work displayed by them over their Russian com- 
petitors, and their unlimited supply of cheap labor, while the Russian 
fisheries are badly hampered as a result of the few Russian subjects 
available for such work and the consequent high wage cost of same. 
Japan also has another big advantage in that she is at present almost 
the sole market for the greater part of the salmon and other fishes 
taken in Siberia. The very fact of this fish being necessary for 
feeding her people will cause Japan to battle hard to hold her present 
advantage. 
The development of the salmon and other fisheries of Siberia has 
been much hampered by the disinclination of the Russian Govern- 
ment to permit foreigners to acquire fishing concessions except on 
very short tenure. As the Russians themselves are generally un- 
skilled in fishing operations, and are compelled to do the work with 
Russian labor, which is quite scarce, they do but little with their 
concessions. American capital would doubtless be available for de- 
