Convention for the preservation of the fur seal and sea otter in the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea
Source: Wiktor: Unperfected treaties of the United States Call#: JX236 1776 .U56 v.3 1883-1904, p. 271
Signed at Washington November 6, 1897, Not submitted to the Senate, Unperfected Treaty Series X-4.
Note: The convention was signed by the United States, Japan, and Russia. See remarks by President William McKinley in his annual message to Congress of December 6, 1897 (2 State of the Union 1873). The adhesion of Great Britain was necessary for the convention to take effect (Article 2). Great Britain disapproved the convention, and it was replaced by one signed July 7, 1911 (37 Stat. 1542; TS 564; 1 Bevans 804) (Patterson). The original convention, in English, is in the treaty file, which also contains full powers dated October 29, 1897, given to U.S. delegates to the International Fur Seal Conference held at Washington October 23 to November 6, 1897 (Carroll). The present text is transcribed from the original in the treaty file. Selected references: Charles C. Tansill, Canadian-American relations, 1875-1911 (Gloucester, 1964, c1943), pp. 330-371; 1 Hackworth 795. For diplomatic correspondence, check For. Rel., General Index, 1861-1899, pp. 329-330.
CONVENTION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE FUR SEAL AND SEA OTTER IN THE NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN AND BERING SEA.
The representatives of the United States, Japan and Russia assembled in Conference to consider the best means of preserving the fur seal and sea otter in the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea having determined that under the existing regulations these animals are threatened with extinction and that an international agreement of all the interested Powers is necessary for their adequate protection, the Governments of the United States, Japan and Russia have resolved to conclude a Convention with a view to bringing about such an international agreement, and have appointed as their respective Plenipotentiaries, to wit:
The President of the United States: John W. Foster, Charles S. Hamlin and David Starr Jordan;
His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan: Shogoi, Shiro Fujita, of the fourth order of the Rising Sun, Director of Agricultural Bureau in the Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and Gugoi, Kakichi Mitsukuri, Rigakuhakushi, of the sixth order of the Sacred Treasure, Professor of the College of Science in the Imperial University of Tokio;
His Majesty, the Emperor of all the Russias: Grégoire de Wollant, Chargé d'Affaires and Councillor of State, and Pierre Botkine, Gentleman in Waiting of His Court and Councillor of Court;
who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the following articles:
Article I.
The High Contracting Parties agree to prohibit their respective subjects and citizens from killing the fur seal and sea otter in all the waters of the North Pacific Ocean, including the Seas of Bering, Okhotsk and Kamtchatka, outside the territorial limits, for the period of one year from the date of this Convention; and they will use their best efforts to make this prohibition effective against their respective subjects and citizens.
Article II.
The present Convention shall take effect as soon as the adhesion of the Government of Great Britain shall be given thereto.
This Convention shall be ratified by the respective Governments and the several ratifications thereof shall be exchanged on a day to be hereafter agreed upon as soon as possible at the City of Washington.
In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have hereunto affixed their signatures and seals.
Done in triplicate in the English language at the City of Washington, this sixth day of November in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven.
John W. Foster [Seal]
Charles S. Hamlin [Seal]
David Starr Jordan [Seal]
Shiro Fujita [Seal]
K. Mitsukuri [Seal]
Grégoire de Wollant [Seal]
P. Botkine [Seal]
