276 ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



selves upon the rookeries. During a much longer period there has 

 been a rapid decrease of cow seals, due to pelagic hunting, and there 

 need be no fear of insufficiency of males for some years to come. 



The President's proclamation of the modus viveudi dated June 15, 

 1891, prohibited the killing of seals in Bering Sea until May next. 

 English and American vessels of war were sent to patrolits waters and 

 enforce the terms of the international agreement. Notwithstanding 

 their efforts, the catch of the sealing fleet this season is estimated to be 

 not less than 00,000 seal, or about eight times as many as were per- 

 mitted to be taken on the islands for the " subsistence and care of the 

 natives," and when it is taken into consideration that each one cap- 

 tured represents at least five killed and lost, a fair idea may be obtained 

 of the great destruction to seal life that took place this year. I left 

 the islands August 11, and it was currently reported at that time that 

 sealing vessels were still in the sea engaged in the unlawful pursuit of 

 taking seals. Two of these vessels were ordered out of the sea a day 

 or two previous with about 4,000 skins on board. 



Agent Nettleton reports that on October 3 two schooners were sighted 

 a few miles off St. George Island. It is further claimed that the seal- 

 ing schooner Otto^ of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, was permitted to clear 

 from Victoria, British Columbia, July 3, for the Bering Sea, and in a 

 published interview in the Victoria Daily Times of July 10, 1891, Col- 

 lector Milne states that he had no authority to cease clearing vessels 

 for the Bering Sea. If this is true, it will account for the number of 

 vessels found in these waters so late in the season. Although it was 

 well known to hunters early in July that it was unlawful to kill seals 

 after June 15, they were also aware that their vessels could not be 

 seized until notified to leave the sea by some officer having authority 

 to enforce his demand; consequently they remained in and about these 

 waters hunting seals and avoiding the war vessels and revenue cutters, 

 knowing that if they were spoken all they had to do was to plead 

 ignorance, and they would be permitted to leave with their plunder. 



I inclose a list of 58 vessels (Exhibit H) as reported September 30, 

 whose spring and fall catch amounted to 52,087 skins, and as there 

 were over 100 vessels in tlie sea this year it is fair to presume that the 

 number caught will exceed the estimate of 60,000 and means the destruc- 

 tion of at least 400,000 seals, 80 per cent of which were undoubtedly 

 females. Such waste of valuable animal life is without parallel in the 

 history of civilized nations, and calls for speedy remedy, or these great 

 breeding grounds, the largest in the world, will become depopulated 

 and worthless. 



It has been the practice for many years to permit the natives on 

 the islands, during the months of November and December, to kill 

 such young seals as they desired, with the understanding that it was 

 authorized by section 1900 Revised Statutes, and that such killing 

 was necessary to furnish food and clothing. I found on inquiry that 

 the skins of young seals are not used for clothing, but are sold for little 

 or nothing or traded off for contraband articles that the natives would 

 be much better without. 



Agent Lavender made a careful investigation of the amount of meat 

 suitable for food on the carcass of an ordinary young seal and found 

 it to be less than 8 pounds, so that, in quantity, as a food supply, it is 

 of little importance, although the meat is very much relished by the 

 natives. In view of the above facts and my instructions upon that 

 subject, I directed that no young seals be killed this year, nor here- 

 after until such time as the Secretary of the Treasury might direct. 



