ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 233 



I first went out in 18<S5, in tlie schooner City of San Diego, chartered 

 by myself and others, and my catch for that year was between 2,300 

 and 2,400 seals. Of that number about 1,900 were caught in Bering 

 Sea. There were but very few vessels sealing at that time. (Michael 

 White.) 



DECREASE OF SEALS — PELAGIC SEALING THE SOLE CAUSE. 



Opinions of Indian hunters. 



Fur seals were formerly much more plentiful, however, but of late 

 years are becoming constantly scarcer. This is, we think, owing to the 

 number of vessels engaged in hunting them at sea. (John Alexandrofif.) 



Fur seals were formerly observed in this neighborhood in great num- 

 bers, but of late years they have been constantly diminishing, owing 

 to the large number of sealiug vessels engaged in hunting and killing 

 them. (Mcoli Apokchee.) 



I have noticed that seal have decreased very rapidly in the last three 

 years, owing to too many schooners engaged in sealing along the 

 coast of Alaska and Bering Sea. (Adam Ayonkee.) 



The seal are not near as plentiful as they used to be. The cause of 

 the decrease is, I think, too many schooners hunting them off Prince 

 of Wales Island and around Dixons Entrance. (Maurice Bates.) 



Seal are not as plentiful on the coast as they used to be. They have 

 been decreasing very fast the last few years. I think this is caused by 

 the indiscriminate killing in the water. (Wilton C. Bennett.) 



Seal are getting very scarce. I think the cause of the scarcity is too 

 many peoj^le hunting seal. (Edward Benson.) 



Seals were very plenty in the straits and around the cape until about 

 six years ago, when tlie white hunters came in schooners and with shot- 

 guns and commenced to kill them all off, and now there is none in the 

 straits and we can not get but one or two where we used to get eight or 

 ten. They are very shy and wild, and are decreasing very rapidly. 

 (Bowa-chup.) 



White hunters came here about five or six years ago and commenced 

 shooting the seals with guns, since which time they have been rapidly 

 decreasing and are becoming very wild. When we hunt seals with 

 spears we creep upon them while asleep on the water and spear them. 

 A few years ago my people would catch from 8,000 to 10,000 each year; 

 now we get only about 1,000 or less. * * * Seals used to be very 

 numerous along the coast about Gape Flattery, and no decrease was 

 ever noticed in their numbers until soon after the white hunters came 

 around here — about seven years ago — and commenced shooting them. 

 Since that time they have decreased fast and have become very shy. 

 (Peter Brown.) 



They were formerly much more plentiful than now, which is owing, 

 we believe, to the number of vessels engaged in killing them at sea. 

 (Ivan Canetak.) 



Years ago seals were very plentiful from 5 to 10 miles from the shore. 

 I could see them all around in bunches of from 10 to 20 each, but since 

 the white man has commenced to kill them with the rifle and shotgun 

 (in the last five or six years) they have decreased very rapidly. (Charlie.) 



