2011 US Code
Title 16 - Conservation
Chapter 5 - PROTECTION OF FUR SEALS AND OTHER FUR-BEARING ANIMALS (§§ 631 - 659)
Section 655 - Agents to be disinterested

The persons charged with the management of the seal fisheries in Alaska, and the performance of such other duties as may be assigned to them by the Secretary of the Interior, shall never be interested directly or indirectly in any lease of the right to take seals, nor in any proceeds or profits thereof either as owner, agent, partner, or otherwise.

(R.S. §§1973, 1975; Feb. 14, 1903, ch. 552, §7, 32 Stat. 828; Mar. 4, 1913, ch. 141, §1, 37 Stat. 736; 1939 Reorg. Plan No. II, §4(e), eff. July 1, 1939, 4 F.R. 2731, 53 Stat. 1433.)

R.S. §§1973, 1975 derived from act Mar. 5, 1872, ch. 31, §1, 17 Stat. 35.

R.S. §1973 read as follows: “The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to appoint one agent and three assistant agents, who shall be charged with the management of the seal fisheries in Alaska, and the performance of such other duties as may be assigned to them by the Secretary of the Treasury.”

R.S. §1975 read as follows: “Such agents shall never be interested, directly or indirectly, in any lease of the right to take seals, nor in any proceeds or profits thereof, either as owner, agent, partner, or otherwise.”

Act. Feb. 14, 1903, transferred jurisdiction, supervision and control over the fur seal, salmon and other fisheries of Alaska from Department of the Treasury to Department of Commerce and Labor.

Act. Mar. 4, 1913, changed designation of Department of Commerce and Labor to Department of Commerce and provided that the Secretary thereof should be called the Secretary of Commerce.

For transfer of functions of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of the Interior, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Interior, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1950, §§1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1262, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Reorg. Plan No. II of 1939, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, transferred Bureau of Fisheries in Department of Commerce, and its functions and functions of Secretary of Commerce relating to protection of fur seals and other fur-bearing animals and supervision of Pribilof Islands and care of natives thereof, to Department of the Interior.

Reorg. Plan No. III of 1940, §3, eff. June 30, 1940, 5 F.R. 2108, 54 Stat. 1232, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, consolidated Bureau of Fisheries and Bureau of Biological Survey with their respective functions into one agency in Department of the Interior to be known as Fish and Wildlife Service, and abolished office of Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Fisheries and transferred their functions to the consolidated agency.

Bureau of Commercial Fisheries within the Fish and Wildlife Service as responsible for matters relating to commercial fisheries and to seals, see section 742b of this title.