The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-05-13
THE FISHERIES TROUBLE.


will doubtlets create considerable dis
cussion on the old question OF the right.
OF fishermen in British American
waters. The question has ever giver
rise to much ill-feeling between the
United States and England, snd the
settlement of it has never yet been
quite satisfactory to either govern.
ment. 1t must be remembered that
fishing on the high seas is regarded as
the general right of all nations, without
restraint or limit. All people. however,
except the subjects of the State, are not
allowed to fish within limit of three
miles Of their respective shores; the
waters within three miles of the shore
are called territorial waters. and fishing
rights are reserved for the exclusive
use of the subjects of the respective
countries. By a treaty between the
United States and England in 1854, it
was stipulated that the inhabitants
of the United States should have the
privilege of taking fish of every kind,
except shell fish, on the sea coast and
shores of the provinces of Quebec. Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Ed
wards Island, and the several islands
adjacent, without being restricted to
any distance from the shore, with per
mission to land for the purpose of cur
ing their fish, drying their nets. ETC.,
providing of course, they did not inter-
fere with the rights of private property,
or with British fishermen in the peace
able use of any part of the said coasts
in their occupancy for the same DUR
pose. These liberties OF course applied
solely to the sea fisheries; the river
fisheries and those at the mouth of
rivers were reserved exclusively for
British subjects. The same liberties
granted to United States fishermen in
Canadian waters were granted to Eng
hsh fishermen along the eastern coast |
of tie United States and islands ada
cent north of the seth parallel of lati-
tude. But when the treaty of Wash
ington was made in 1871, England |
claimed that the United States had the |
best of The bargain in the fish question, |
as the fishing in British waters was
better than along the eastern coast of |
the United States, so that the privileges |
accorded the citizens of the United |
States were of greater value than those |
accorded to the subjects of England.
This is true. The fish most desirable |
for market am cod, hslibut and J
macherel, all of which are cold water
fsh-that is, they seek the colder |
streams of the ocean currents. Our
warm Cuff Stream sweeps up the At
lsntic coast as far as Cap Cod, where it
is borne away to the east and south of
Cape Cod. We have no good fish. On
the other hand a cold current comes
rushing through Baffin's Bay from the
Arctic ocean and visits the coasts of
New Foundland, Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick, and hence in the waters
adjacent are the best fisheries, while in
the waters close to the shore. and in the
mouths of the rivers especially, are IN
limited numbers of herring and capel-
an, upon which cod, halibut and
mackerel feed and hence are desirable TO,
bait. BY the treaty referred to theBritish
fisherman had an exclusive right in
taking these kinds Of fish, and he drove
thriving trade with the Yankee fisher
man by selling them to him for bait.
The question as TO the greater value Of {
the liberties accorded to the Yankee
fishermen was referred by the Washing
ton treaty to a commission of three, !
one chosen by the President of the
United States, and one by the Queen, !
the third to Be chosen by them con- {
jointly, and they were to say what {
If any, the government of the '
United States should pay to England. i
The commission finally met at Halifax o
and decided that the United States c
should pay one million pounds-about 4
i've million dollars-to Great Britain. {
which our government had bound itself o
70 pay within one year after the award 6
vas made. The amount was paid by v
he United States, bH. not long since p
he United States abrogated the clause p
n the Washington treaty relative to q
sheries. so that this act excludes our 81
shermen from the territorial waters of
british America---that is. they are not 4
llowed TO come within three miles Of L
be British coast. The result is that P
hey are kept from procuring bait a
long the coast as they were &C sc
lstomed to do before the abroga- 2
on of the treaty Of Washington. and al
annot pursue their business probably h'
4