The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-17
THE SIXTY-MILE ZONE,
Its Relation ani TINT OF the Close Season to
the Future of PeInGic Sealing.


WASHINGTON. Aug. 10.-"f they will show a
reasonable spirit Of compromise 1t will be
good thing to come to an arrangement. not for
close season. which is inappropriate to the
conditions Of tho case but for q closure dur
inE the breeding season OF an area Of perhaps
twenty miles around the breeding grounds"
So said the London Times during the discus
sion Of the Behrlng Sea question before the
agreement to submit it to arbitration. 1t Is
well to recall this fact in order to determine
how far the decision Of the Paris tribunal has
gone in favor OF seal protection beyond what
British public sentiment was willing to con-
cede 10 the United States. The close season
which the London Times declared to be inap-
propriate Is now actually established. and in
addition. the area around the breeding islands
has radius not Of twenty but OF sixty miles.
In March. 1892. Lord Salisbury proposed
that pelagic sealing should be prohibited with
in n radius Of thirty miles around the Pribylov
Islands,: This WAS the greatest concession
was to be only a temporary and conditional ar
Iangeme n stu more strikinE fact is that
OF council for Great Britain. proposed among
| the regulations which that country would con-
the sff rbyoy TSSs thu res
suit Of tho contention on this point has been to
establish = protective zone far in excess OF
Mr. D. O., Mills. the, President of the North
seals from the prlbylov Islands are found
feeding Mt distance from thiity to 100 miles
soa r Eavs pessc ee sst it
gether from Behring Sea. would have de-
sired zone Of 100 miles radius. But the es-
tabllshment OF absolute protection for radius
Of sixty miles is, upon the whole. lii eral, and
It is a Noteworthy point that sixty miles is the
by Mr.. Tiaine in lis note Of April II. i ISL.
:, The Victoria sealers have always ridiculed
tive. and that u vast proportion of the animals
that were shot were sunk and were lost. But
the absolute prevention Of the use of firearms
shotg uns used outside OF Behring Sea. during
the specified time when seal haunting is ,rer-
sealing. and Is most efficient method Of pro-
tertion. On mis- point 4 is fair to say that the
posed to conceGe TINT no rifle. or nets should
be used by peIaGi" hunters. iiut the extent TO
SSn on ssnr Eesscs Gn s sK Me d 70
take part in IT. goes quito beyond anything
which Great Britain offered to copccdr. 1t was
Victoria to use steam vessels in this hunting.
employing also Gunpowder and high explo-
A close season was suggested by tho British
counsel in at pars; hni the nerI,pd Of ptohibtIon
Of May and June, as well rs July, carrying also
is beneficial operation to the North Pacific
The extreme importance OF thus extending
protection over The North Pacific is sufficiently
illustrated by the great catches reported dur
Ing tho present year south OF tho Aleutian
chain. Mr. Robinson. in his rcrnarks upon
Canada's interests. admitted that the regula-
protect the seals, but there was no proposal 10
Include any area heyond the narrow twenty
propositions handed in by Sir Richard Web
ster. The district in which pelagic hunting OF
any sort Is absolutely prohibited from NAY ] p
now extends to u latitude far south OF San
Francisco. and about half way between that
pOint and San Diego.
1t Ia clear that our cruisers may henceforth
have to take IN police jurisdiction in tho North
Pacific AMI Behring Sea as part Of their reQu-
lar duty: hut at least the fur senls have been
protected from the peril OF DISCRIMINATION