dudeone Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Tiny, rocky island subject of dispute between Canada and United States By Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press | Associated Press http://news.yahoo.co...-093109528.html FREDERICTON - A tiny island between New Brunswick and Maine is the subject of renewed calls from both sides of the border to settle a territorial dispute once and for all. Machias Seal Island is a flat, treeless piece of rock located about 19 kilometres southwest of Grand Manan Island at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. The island is a sanctuary for many kinds of seabirds including the Atlantic Puffin and draws visitors from around the world to observe them in the summer. There are no permanent human residents on the island, just pairs of lightkeepers who spend 28 days at a time maintaining a lighthouse operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. The original lighthouse was built by the British in 1832, and a lighthouse has been maintained there ever since. So why would anyone even care which country gets title to Machias Seal Island? The answer lies in the 720 square kilometres of water around the island in what's called a grey zone. Lobster fishermen from both Canada and the U.S. fish these waters. "The fishing community on Grand Manan is permitted to fish there on an open-end basis and it's our way of laying our claim to this water that is part of the Machias Seal Island dispute," said MP John Williamson, who represents the riding of New Brunswick-Southwest. Williamson said the island is considered to be in his riding. "I think our claim is sound and is legitimate, but at the end of the day it's going to come down to the minister in this country and the administration in Washington to settle it," he said. "I think it is in the interests of both of our countries to do that." That feeling is echoed by Stephen Kelly, a professor at the Center for Canadian Studies at Duke University and a retired American diplomat who has served in Canada. "It just strikes me if we have this opportunity to remove a potential irritant going forward, why don't we take it?" Kelly said in an interview from his office in Durham, N.C. Kelly put his thoughts in a commentary for The New York Times last month, which he said he was prompted to write after seeing territorial disputes that have erupted between Japan and China over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. He said while the situation between Canada and the United States is much different, land disputes are better settled. "What if some valuable resource is discovered in the grey zone around Machias Seal Island? What if some other contingency that we can't imagine now of strategic importance comes along?" he asked. "Wouldn't we feel silly that we didn't take the opportunity to resolve this when the stakes were relatively low." For Ralph Eldridge, a Canadian who has been a lightkeeper on the island for the last 16 years, the question of who owns Machias Seal Island is a "non-issue," something that is never a question from the visitors who travel to the island each summer. And Eldridge said he doesn't have to produce his passport to go there. "But neither does someone from the United States or China or Japan or Spain have to when they come to the island," he said. A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said ownership of the island and surrounding waters is clear as far as Canada is concerned: they are Canadian. "Canada's sovereignty over Machias Seal Island and sovereign jurisdiction over the 210 square nautical mile surrounding waters is strongly founded in international law," Barbara Harvey said in a statement. Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said Machias Seal Island is west of Maine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buggernut Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Canada and the US are the new China and Japan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Special Ed Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I'm going to invade the US. Thinking Hawaii first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hudson bay rules Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 And Eldridge said he doesn't have to produce his passport to go there. "But neither does someone from the United States or China or Japan or Spain have to when they come to the island," he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsedin33 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 A totally miraculous life born unto a mysterious self sustaining green and blue ball hurtling through an infinite universe, and we spend our time arguing over who "owns" a small rock sticking out of the ocean. Humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHL rocks Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Get rid of the borders and make it all one country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Fatigue Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoreanHockeyFan Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 World War III, it's coming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denguin Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Get rid of the borders and make it all one country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 What's next? We invade Point Roberts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heretic Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Canada has occupied the Island since 1832? Possession is nine tenth's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EX_Bert_Worshipper Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Logic question: If a plane crashes on Machias Seal Island, where do you bury the survivors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugemanskost Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Logic question: If a plane crashes on Machias Seal Island, where do you bury the survivors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EX_Bert_Worshipper Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Well... the fiery plane crash would kill many puffins, other seabirds, lobsters and, perhaps, the lighthouse keeper. It would be very difficult, and extremely nasty, to bury the survivors, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
key2thecup Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Surrender Pronto, Or We'll level Toronto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobble Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Well, we operate the lighthouse. That means its ours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostsof1915 Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heretic Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Logic question: If a plane crashes on Machias Seal Island, where do you bury the survivors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gumballthechewy Posted December 28, 2012 Share Posted December 28, 2012 Logic question: If a plane crashes on Machias Seal Island, where do you bury the survivors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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