Halibut Treaty
Encyclopedia
The Halibut Treaty was a 1923 Canadian
–American
agreement concerning fishing rights in the northern Pacific Ocean
.
The treaty established the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) as a mechanism for the joint management of the Pacific halibut
(Hippoglossus stenolepis) which, at that time, was in severe decline. The commission originally had four members but now has six, which are selected from industry and related government agencies. Half the members are Canadian and half are from the United States. The treaty also had a provision for a closed season, so halibut could not be fished during the more dangerous winter months. The treaty has been revised numerous times, often based on recommendations from the IPHC and its team of scientific researchers.
In other words Canada signed its very own first international treaty with the USA. The Halibut Treaty with USA helped protect Canada's Pacific fisheries.
. Before this time Canada had always looked to Britain to ratify any international agreements they made. When informed of the treaty, Britain wished to sign the treaty along with Canada, as it had in the past, but Canadian Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King
resisted. He insisted that the treaty was only a concern between Canada and the United States. Britain eventually acquiesced when Mackenzie King threatened to send independent representation to Washington, D.C.
, which would in effect completely bypass Britain's authority.
The ratification of the treaty paved the way for further British colony independence, including the Balfour Declaration
at the Imperial Conference in 1926, which recognized that British Dominions were "autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate", and finally the Statute of Westminster
in 1931 which repealed the Colonial Laws Validity Act and removed the last vestiges of the ability of the British government to create law which applied to its former colonies.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
–American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
agreement concerning fishing rights in the northern Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
The treaty established the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) as a mechanism for the joint management of the Pacific halibut
Halibut
Halibut is a flatfish, genus Hippoglossus, from the family of the right-eye flounders . Other flatfish are also called halibut. The name is derived from haly and butt , for its popularity on Catholic holy days...
(Hippoglossus stenolepis) which, at that time, was in severe decline. The commission originally had four members but now has six, which are selected from industry and related government agencies. Half the members are Canadian and half are from the United States. The treaty also had a provision for a closed season, so halibut could not be fished during the more dangerous winter months. The treaty has been revised numerous times, often based on recommendations from the IPHC and its team of scientific researchers.
In other words Canada signed its very own first international treaty with the USA. The Halibut Treaty with USA helped protect Canada's Pacific fisheries.
Significance
It was the first treaty negotiated by Canada, independent of BritainUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Before this time Canada had always looked to Britain to ratify any international agreements they made. When informed of the treaty, Britain wished to sign the treaty along with Canada, as it had in the past, but Canadian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
resisted. He insisted that the treaty was only a concern between Canada and the United States. Britain eventually acquiesced when Mackenzie King threatened to send independent representation to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, which would in effect completely bypass Britain's authority.
The ratification of the treaty paved the way for further British colony independence, including the Balfour Declaration
Balfour Declaration 1926
The Balfour Declaration of 1926, a report resulting from the 1926 Imperial Conference of British Empire leaders in London, was named after the British statesman Arthur Balfour, first Earl of Balfour, Lord President of the Council and a previous Prime Minister of the United Kingdom...
at the Imperial Conference in 1926, which recognized that British Dominions were "autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate", and finally the Statute of Westminster
Statute of Westminster 1931
The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Passed on 11 December 1931, the Act established legislative equality for the self-governing dominions of the British Empire with the United Kingdom...
in 1931 which repealed the Colonial Laws Validity Act and removed the last vestiges of the ability of the British government to create law which applied to its former colonies.