188 American Fisheries Society 



of three miles were altogether inadequate. Following the lead of 

 this eminent man, that important and powerful association in 

 Britain called "The National Sea Fisheries Protective Association," 

 meeting in Fishmongers Hall, London, on January 16th, 1894, 

 passed a resolution which included the following : 



"That in view of the difficulties of making international 

 fishery regulations, they are of opinion that the best method for 

 effectively governing fishing operations, and, at the same time, for 

 securing, so far as it may be found possible, the proper protection 

 of spawning and immature fish, would be to throw the responsibility 

 of these duties, so far as the waters immediately adjacent to the 

 various countries are concerned, on those various countries; that, 

 for the effective realization of this object, the present territorial 

 limit of three miles is insufficient, and that for fishery purposes 

 alone this limit should be extended — provided such extension can 

 be effected upon an international basis and with due regard to 

 the rights and interests of all nations. " It may also be noted 

 that Inspector W. E. Archer, one of the leading fishery authorities 

 in Britain, laid great stress in some evidence he gave before the Sea 

 Fisheries Commission in 1907, that the three-mile limit for fishery 

 purposes was practically insignificant. 



Of special moment is the fact that at the commencement of the 

 great war, in 1914, twenty-one American Republics, including 

 Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, etc., were moved to 

 urge co-operation with the United States Government to extend 

 the territorial marine limits, mainly to increase coast-wise trade 

 between North and South America, but indirectly for the benefit 

 of the sea-fishing industries also. Quite a large and representative 

 body of men from these various republics arranged to confer with 

 President Wilson upon this momentous subject. 



It has been widely felt that six miles was not a large enough 

 limit, and the fishermen of Scotland twenty-five years ago urged 

 upon the British Government that the territorial limits should be 

 extended and the line fishermen, who formed the majority, 

 specified a thirteen-mile limit as necessary, and demanded that 

 within this limit no trawling should be permitted. The Govern- 

 ment officials in London replied that the consent of foreign nations 

 concerned would be required; but as we have seen this opinion 

 was entirely baseless, as proved by the decision of the High Court 



