﻿72 
  KEPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONEE 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  FISHERY 
  MATTERS 
  IN 
  CONGRESS, 
  

  

  An 
  act 
  to 
  create 
  a 
  legislative 
  assembly 
  in 
  the 
  Territory 
  of 
  Alaska 
  

   approved 
  August 
  24, 
  1912, 
  contained 
  a 
  special 
  provision 
  denying 
  

   to 
  the 
  legislature 
  any 
  authority 
  to 
  alter, 
  amend, 
  modify, 
  or 
  repeal 
  

   any 
  laws 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  applicable 
  to 
  Alaska 
  affecting 
  fish, 
  

   game, 
  fur 
  seals, 
  or 
  other 
  fur-bearing 
  animals. 
  Notwithstanding 
  this 
  

   prohibition, 
  the 
  legislature, 
  at 
  its 
  fiist 
  session 
  beginning 
  in 
  March, 
  

   1913, 
  considered 
  various 
  fishery 
  bills, 
  and 
  even 
  passed 
  a 
  measure 
  

   incieasing 
  the 
  tax 
  on 
  canned 
  salmon, 
  one 
  half 
  this 
  revenue 
  to 
  be 
  

   for 
  Territorial 
  uses, 
  the 
  other 
  for 
  conservation 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries 
  under 
  

   direction 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries. 
  

  

  An 
  act 
  to 
  give 
  effect 
  to 
  the 
  convention- 
  between 
  the 
  Governments 
  

   of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  Great 
  Britain, 
  Japan, 
  and 
  Kussia, 
  for 
  preser- 
  

   vation 
  and 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  fur 
  seals 
  and 
  sea 
  otter 
  which 
  frequent 
  

   the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  Ocean, 
  concluded 
  in 
  Washington, 
  

   July 
  7, 
  1911, 
  passed 
  Congress 
  and 
  was 
  approved 
  August 
  24, 
  1912. 
  

   An 
  important 
  provision 
  of 
  this 
  act 
  is 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  a 
  five- 
  

   year 
  close 
  season 
  on 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands, 
  durmg 
  which 
  time 
  all 
  

   killing 
  of 
  seals 
  is 
  prohibited 
  except 
  for 
  the 
  food 
  purposes 
  of 
  the 
  

   natives. 
  

  

  EXECUTIVE 
  ORDERS 
  AND 
  PROCLAMATIONS 
  AFFECTING 
  THE 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Satisfactory 
  information 
  having 
  been 
  received 
  that 
  the 
  Govern- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  Great 
  Britain, 
  Japan, 
  and 
  Russia 
  had 
  taken 
  the 
  necessary 
  

   steps 
  to 
  give 
  effect 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  article 
  of 
  the 
  convention 
  concluded 
  

   July 
  11, 
  1911, 
  for 
  the 
  preservation 
  and 
  protection 
  of 
  fur 
  seals 
  and 
  

   sea 
  otter 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  Ocean, 
  the 
  President, 
  on 
  May 
  31, 
  1913, 
  

   issued 
  the 
  following 
  proclamation 
  : 
  

  

  Whereas, 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  article 
  of 
  the 
  Convention 
  between 
  the 
  Governments 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States, 
  Great 
  Britain, 
  Japan 
  and 
  Russia 
  for 
  the 
  preservation 
  and 
  protection 
  

   of 
  the 
  fur 
  seals 
  and 
  sea 
  otter 
  which 
  frequent 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  Ocean, 
  con- 
  

   cluded 
  at 
  Washington 
  July 
  seventh, 
  nineteen 
  hundred 
  and 
  eleven, 
  it 
  is 
  pro\dded 
  as 
  

   follows: 
  

  

  The 
  High 
  Contracting 
  Parties 
  mutually 
  and 
  reciprocally 
  agree 
  that 
  their 
  citizens 
  

   and 
  subjects 
  respectively, 
  and 
  all 
  persons 
  subject 
  to 
  their 
  laws 
  and 
  treaties, 
  and 
  their 
  

   vessels, 
  shall 
  be 
  prohibited, 
  while 
  this 
  Convention 
  remains 
  in 
  force, 
  from 
  engaging 
  in 
  

   pelagic 
  sealing 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  Ocean, 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  thu'tieth 
  parallel 
  

   of 
  north 
  latitude 
  and 
  including 
  the 
  Seas 
  of 
  Bering, 
  Kamchatka, 
  Okhotsk 
  and 
  Japan, 
  

   and 
  that 
  every 
  such 
  person 
  and 
  vessel 
  offending 
  against 
  such 
  prohibition 
  may 
  be 
  

   seized, 
  except 
  within 
  the 
  territorial 
  jurisdiction 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  Powers, 
  and 
  de 
  

   tained 
  by 
  the 
  naval 
  or 
  other 
  duly 
  commissioned 
  officers 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  Parties 
  to 
  this 
  

   Convention, 
  to 
  be 
  delivered 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  practicable 
  to 
  an 
  authorized 
  official 
  of 
  their 
  

   own 
  nation 
  at 
  the 
  nearest 
  point 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  seizure, 
  or 
  elsewhere 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  mutually 
  

   agreed 
  upon; 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  authorities 
  of 
  the 
  nation 
  to 
  which 
  such 
  person 
  or 
  vessel 
  

   belongs 
  alone 
  shall 
  have 
  jurisdiction 
  to 
  try 
  the 
  offense 
  and 
  impose 
  the 
  penalties 
  for 
  

   the 
  same; 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  witnesses 
  and 
  proofs 
  necessary 
  to 
  establish 
  the 
  offense, 
  so 
  far 
  

   as 
  they 
  are 
  under 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  Parties 
  to 
  this 
  Convention, 
  shall 
  also 
  be 
  

  

  