WHITE SEA FISHERIES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1125, 12 May 1911, Page 6

WHITE SEA FISHERIES.

THE TWELVE-MILE ZONE. By Telegraph—l'ress Association-Copyright St. Petersburg, May 10. The Duma Committee has passed the Archangel Fisheries Bill. It prohibits foreigners from fishing within twelve miles of the Russian coast in tho White Sea. "AN IMPOSSIBLE CLAIM." SOVEREIGNTY ON THE HIGH PEAS. The Bill before the Russian Duma cmpowering the Government, of Archangel to extend the territorial limit along the littoral to twelve miles is .regarded in this countrv, wrote the "Morning Post recently,' as threatening a .crushing blow to Hie British fishing industry. It such action be acquiesced in the trawling Heels of Hull and Grimsby, which bring .from the banks outside the AMuto Sea large quantities of fish, more particularly plaice will be excluded from one of tho richest fishing grounds. The most recent statistics show that. 70,000 tons of fish were caught on those grounds in 190?, plaico alone amounting to 60,000 tons. _ Sir H. Scvmour King, M.P., explained to a "Morning Post" representative same time ago Hie importance of Government action being taken -to secure the withdrawal of the Bill. "The position is extremely serious," he stated; 'in fact, it would be almost fatal to the Hull fishing trade, or a great portion of it, if Russia were allowed to extern! the territorial limits as proposed. Tha boats employed are built expressly for this AVhile-Sea trade. \ very considerable amount of capital is invested in it. and it gives employment to a large number of men. I don t think our Government can possibly accept such a proposal from anybody. Indeed, I know tint thev are remonstrating on the subject with the Russian Government. It ts not. milv the gravity of the proposal to the Hull fishing trade that is involved, although that, of eotoo, intenfts me, but to permit Russia to enforce such a law would be an admission tkat any nation could advance its territorial limits nine miles further out to sea. It. is now

tho universal law -that the three-n'iilo limit applies to all territorial water's'.'' The fishing ground involved is situated outsid3 tho White Sea. So far as'tho White Sea proper is concerned, Sir Seymour Kins explained, wo have always tacitly—though not.,actually—admitted' its closure. The trawlers, besides keeping beyond the three-mile limit outside Capes Kanin and Sviatoi according to international usage, have never entered tho AVhite Sea, because they were given to un : derstand by tho Foreign Office that Rus-

sia claimed jurisdiction over its waters. He continued: "The proposal in this Bill would, however, destroy tho whole fishery, because it is within 12 miles of Cape Zanoi. After that disfan.ee the depths arc too great. If that part of the sea goes our whole trade there goes, for it is about the only spot, on that coast for fishing. It has been used for many years now, a dozen or more, ever since the big steam trawlers have been built, and from the time the fishermen had to go farther afield owing to the North Sea beginning to fail as a fishing ground." "This proposal is against all international law or any claim that has been put forward by any other nation," Sir Seymour stated emphatically,, and ho pointed out that, if tho British territorial limits bad been advanced to .12 miles in Newfoundlaud the Americans would havo been shut out from those fishing grounds. "The claim cannot be admitted for a moment," be said, "and I don't think Russia can persist in it. They, have no right to extend tho limits at all by international convention or by anything else. If they can do so in the case of the White Sea they can equally add nine miles to the limit around the Black Sea. The British Government must be urged not to give way one inch in this vital matter."