HISTORY OF THE FUE SEAL ISLANDS. 25 



THE COMPANY'S MANAGEMENT. 



At once upon assuming control of the islands the Russian American Company 

 put a stop to t tie ruthless slaughter which threatened the fur-seal herds with destruc- 

 tion. They, however, attempted to limit the extent rather than to reform the charac- 

 ter of the slaughter. They still continued to kill males and females alike. The injury 

 to the herd naturally continued, and in 1806 and 1807 it was found necessary to 

 suspend killing in order to give the herd an opportunity to recuperate. In 1808 killing 

 was resumed, but still without proper regard for the conditions of seal life.* 



INJURIOUS METHODS. 



Gradually, however, the habits and interests of the herd began to be better known 

 and cared for. In 1820, Yanovsky, an agent of the Imperial Government, after an 

 inspection of the far seal rookeries, called attention to the practice of killing the 

 young animals, leaving only the adults as breeders. He writes : "If any of the young 

 breeders are not killed by the autumn they are sure to be killed in the following 

 spring."! From this course of action he concludes that the industry decreases every 

 year in volume, and may in the course of time be extinguished entirely. Probably as 

 a result of this, in 1822, as Veuiaminof tells us, provision was made for the reservation 

 of young seals for breeding purposes. This provision was hardly sufficient, however, 

 to accomplish the desired end so long as females of any age were killed. As a natural 

 result, another crisis in the history of the herd was reached in 1834. But it is not clear 

 whether this was due entirely to indiscriminate slaughter or to the combination of 

 this with disaster resulting from the continuance of the ice floes about the islands far 

 into the summer, preventing the cows from landing to give birth to their young and 

 grinding them to pieces in the ice itself. This latter possibility exists as a tradition 

 among the Aleuts, though in their minds it may have been confused with a subse- 

 quent catastrophe of a similar character recorded by the manager of St. Paul Island 

 in 1859.J In any event, it seems very clearly established that in the year 1834 the 

 herd was in a most precarious condition. The natives were not even allowed to take 

 seals for food, and for a time all killing was suspended. 



PROTECTION OF THE FEMALES. 



At this time it seems to have become fully understood that if the herd was to 

 continue its females must be protected. Accordingly from this time on the taking of 

 seals was limited strictly to the males. But the managers of the fur-seal herds had 

 still something to learn. The requirements of the Chinese market were the only guide 

 to the class of skins desired, and as all sizes were taken the killing of males included all 

 ages from old bulls down to the gray pups. Gradually this wasteful killing stopped. 

 The bulls were no longer taken and the killing of gray pups was limited to such as 

 were needed for food and oil. || 



*Veniammof, Trans. Elliott, Monograph, Fur Seal Isds., 1881, p. liO. 

 t Appendix to case of U. S., Fur Seal Arb., Letter No. 6, p. 58. 



t Appendix to case of U. S., Fur Seal Arb., Letter No. 29, p. 87. The dire results here predicted 

 seem not to have been felt by the herd. 



Appendix to case of U. S., Fur Seal Arb., Letter No. 23, p. 82. 

 || Appendix to case of U. S., Fur Seal Arb., Letter No. 24, p. 82. 



