The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-02-27
HALIBUT SPAWN INCREASING AS
 CRAFTSMANSHIP
Yield Expected to Gain as Young Fish Begin to Come
 Back, Thompson Says

The International Fisheries Com mission has been successful in in creasing spawning of halibut on the banks without reducing the catch, according to w F. Thomp- son, Director for the International Fisheries Commission, who address cd a meeting of halibut fishermen and vessel owners held in the Coun- cil Chamber at the City Hall yes I terday afternoon. hesa 4 We have prevented further de- creases in the annual total catch, which had been falling off each lyear,' he said. ''The yield was stab ilized in 1881, and We expect it to rise as, soon as young fish begin to come back ue aR
 . The International Fisheries Com mission was created by a treaty in 1924. Mr. Thompson said, and is composed of four members, William l A. Found and John P. .Babcock rep reseEting Canada, and Frank T. Bell and Edward w. Allen of the United States. The members are appointed from Canada by the Governor aGeneral, and from the United States by the President, and serve without pay. A director, whocis appointed by the commis sion, is given equal appropriations by the two governments, and power to select a staff of scientists to assist in research and to charter boats and necessary equipment
 Meetings Held
 A me ti ng of the Conference Board, which includes delegates from each of the principal Pacific Coast ports --- Seattle, Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Petersburg, Ketchi- kan and Juneau--was held in Seat- tie on February 18, 19 and 20. inc delegates are chosen by local fish ermen and approved by the Fish cries Commission, Tom Ness, who arrived with MT, Thompson aboard the Northwestern from Seattle, is the Juneau representative.
 Meetings will be held in each of the ports mentioned. the next in Petersburg, to provide representa- tion for fishermen unable to attend the nee ing of the Conference Board, and to further cooperation At the. meeting held here yesterday resolution was passed by the at tending fishermen and vessel own CTS, approving the action of the Conference Board in Seattle in re- questing change in the treaty AL lowing the halibut fleet to operate under a date of Hast departure from port" instead of definite date of closure.
 Under the closure ruling vessels which suffer broken trips" are prevented from securing a full catch, while under the last de- parture" clause they would be al- lowed to do so.
 At a4 fPfCVlSf0nS assi Included in the resolution was a ] provision for landing and sale of halibut caught by cod fishermen,
 up to a certain percentage of the
 catch, while any part of the halibut
 fishing areas remains open The
 resolution is designed to remove the chief factors contributing to law
 breaking, MT. Thompson said, with
 out injury to natural resources.
 MT. Thompson delivered lecture on the scientific work in connec- tion with the activities of the com
 mission, and lantern slides were
 shown, in an effort to explain the
 reasons for the various regulations : of the commission in each area.
 The lecture was followed by gen.
 eral discussion It has been dem-
 onstrated, MT. Thompson said, that
 greater catch results under regu-
 lations, than with unrestricted fish, ing.
 The amount O. spawn on the
 banks has been proved to be in- creasing, MT. Thompson reported, and other information has been developed through the insertion of metal tags in the cheeks of adult fish which are returned to the
 water. A fairly high return is
 granted fishermen for the return of the tags found in their catches. Well defined stocks of fish remain
 within given areas, MT. Thompson stated, requiring separate regula- tions for each area.
 Increasing quantities of halibuu on the banks may result in a
 tendency to take the entire catch allowed in given area early in
 the season, MT. Thompson said, and
 stressed the importance of volun- tary curtailment to stretch the
 catch over the full season to avoid shortening of the period.