( ii A r i i. i: xvi. 

 SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS. 



Before passing to a consideration of the final topic, the remedy for the condition 

 of the herd, we may give the following brief statement of the chief facts concerning 

 the fur-seal herd which have a bearing on its future protection and preservation. 

 This statement, while in a sense a summary of the preceding discussions, was 

 originally prepared by Messrs. Hamlin and Jordan, the American delegates to the 

 recent Fur-Seal Conference at Washington, for the use of the conference. A few of 

 the estimates here given may be open to difference of opinion, but in general the 

 accuracy of these statements has not been questioned and can not be: 



STATEMENTS OF FACT. 



The delegates of the United States present for the consideration of the meeting 

 of experts the following statements of fact regarding the condition of the fur-seal 

 herd resorting to the Pribilof Islands: 



1. Since the year 1885 the fur-seal herd, as measured by its breeding females, has 

 steadily declined in numbers at a rate varying from year to year. 



2. The best available measure of this decline is found in these facts : 



(a) During the period between 1871 and 1885 no difficulty was experienced in 

 obtaining each year 100,000 male seals of recognized killable age by the 20th of July. 



(/>) In 1896 only 30,000 killable seals were taken after continuing the driving 

 until July 27, and in 1897 only 20,890 were taken after continuing the driving until 

 August 11. 



3. From this and other data it would appear that the herd of breeding females on 

 the Pribilof Islands in the years 1871-1885 must have been about five times as great 

 as at present, or from 600,000 to 700,000 in number. 



4. The natural life of the female fur seal is estimated at from ten to fifteen years. 

 Assuming thirteen years as an average, each female would have ten years of breeding 

 life. If this be true, 10 per cent of the breeding females die of old age each winter in 

 addition to the unknown losses from other causes. The stock of breeding females is 

 recruited solely by the accession each year of 3-year-old cows. 



5. The natural death rate among the young fur seals, especially among the pups, 

 is very great. At present about two-thirds die from natural causes before they reach 

 the age of 3 years, or killable age for the males and breeding age for the females. 



6. The chief natural causes of death among the pups are: 



(a) Ravages of the parasitic worm, Uncinaria, infesting sandy breeding areas. 

 (6) Trampling by fighting or moving bulls and cows. 



(c) Starvation of pups strayed or separated from their mothers when very young. 



(d) Ravages of the great killer ( Orca). 



(e) Drowning in the storms of winter. 

 184 



