214 Americon Fisheries Society. 



is nevertheless clear that both the fur and the sea otter were 

 exceedingly abundant on the coasts of the Calif ornias 100 

 years ago. The total number of otters killed between 1786 

 and 1868 must have exceeded 200,000. At current prices 

 these would be woith at least $200,000,000, a very neat 

 little sum. 



The remarkable rapidity with which the Alaska fur-seal 

 herd has increased during the last ten years under the pro- 

 tection of the fur-seal treaty of 1911, an increase from 

 127,000 in 1911 to more than 600,000 in 1921, which permit- 

 ted a kill in 1922 of 30,000 seals valued at $1,500,000 net, 

 demonstrates what a depleted natural resource of this kind 

 will do when given proper protection through international 

 cooperation. The world needs a similar but more compre- 

 hensive treaty covering, not only the other fur seals of the 

 at present unprotected areas, but alsothesea otters, elephant 

 seals, whales, walruses, fishes and other natural resources 

 of the sea. Such a treaty by the various countries inter- 

 ested would, in a few decades, result in rehabilitating these 

 depleted resources to an extent that would permit for all 

 time an annual product of at least $500,000,000. 



Resolutions urging the necessity for early action by the 

 various countries concerned have been passed by numerous 

 organizations, including the Pan-Pacific Commercial Con- 

 gress, the California Academy of Sciences, the Scripps Insti- 

 tution for Biological Research, the San Diego Museum of 

 Natural History, the Los Angeles Museum, the Common- 

 wealth Club of California, and the Chamber of Commerce 

 of San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. 



Such resolutions were adopted by the San Francisco 

 Chamber of Commerce on January 23 last, and by the West- 

 ern Society of Naturalists and the Pacific Fisheries Society 

 at Los Angeles last September. 



There is no greater or more urgent conservation problem 

 than that of the natural resources of the sea which require 

 international cooperation for their development and ade- 

 quate protection. 



It is hoped that our government may take the initiative 

 to bring about an international treaty for the protection of 

 these great natural resources. 



