Seward daily gateway., 1927-07-20

above facts, to building up founda- tion upon which methods of regulation can be safely built This is particu- larly true of the demonstration that the younger fish can be treated and protected as separate units, bank by bank. So complete is the information at hand that the commissioners have splendid basis upon which to judge of the results of any regulations in eff feet or proposed.
 '"The commissioners were necessari- ly we'll pleased with the progress the director and his scientifically trained staff have made, and so expressed themselves, but there is much more to be accomplished before the commis- sion will be able to advise their gov ernments as to practical steps that may be taken to conserve the halibut Further meetings will be held this fall, when all the commissioners can be in attendance In the meantime it is proposed to invite the principal of , ficers of the fshermen's associations, 1 the Vessel Owners Association and 1 the leading halibut dealers on the Pa cific coast to visit our offices at the 1 University of Washington, cattle, where the director and his staff will show them the nature of the data that has been compiled-in order that they may be fully informed of the drift of the evidence which the commission has accumulated. This will be fol- lowed by a general meeting, when all interested parties will be asked to ex- press their views. Following that conference the commissioners will draft an interim report for presenta- tion to their respective governments"
 A Difficult Problem
 Asked as to the nature of the rec ommendation h commissioners would recommend, MT. Babcock re- piled that the commissioners had not yet reached any conclusions.
 "The question:" he said, twas most ,complex It is still an open question as to whether the fishery can be con- servingly administered. We are deal ing with a deep-sea fishery extending from Oregon to Boring Sea, fishery that the present is engaged in by Cana dian and American fishermen only but which is open to the nationals ot fother countries. Granted that the banks off the coast up to Southeastern Alaska have all been depleted, and that there are banks yet untouched in Northwest Alaska and Boring Sea to be opened, the devising of system of regulation, it must be admitted, is something in the nature of real problem. We already have the opin. ion of almost every captain in the Can  adian and American halibut fishing fleets. With few exceptions they ad. |.vocate the closing of certain banks such as those off Masset and the Port lock bank. Others would go further and close other "old" banks. ntil it is tried out no one is possessed of the knowledge necessary to say just what 1 the effect of closing such banks would have on the fishery. It might or might not improve the general situation.
 Would Be Experimental
 "The closing of the Masset and Port lock banks at the present time for ex- perimental purposes would at least not affect the total catch materially. The fish taken there are all immature and the bulk too small for the mar ket. However, any attempted regu, lation can be regarded only in the way of an experiment. If those banks were closed for a period of years they might produce lot of breeders and re- seed themselves, or they might not. Who can tell? If they are to be closed for a period sufficient to re- seeed themselves, how can Canada and the United States best take joint and uniform action? If they are closed