FUE-SEAL INDUSTRY. 85 



It will be noted that the quota provided for the killing of a large 

 number of seals 6 years of rge and upwards. The five years of 

 restricted killing of seals, from i\ngust 25, 1912, to August 24, 1917, 

 provided for by the act approved August 24, 1912, giving effect to the 

 North Pacific Sealing Convention of July 7, 1911, had resulted in the 

 accumulation of a large number of males far in excess of the number 

 required to maintain the breeding strength of the herd at a maximum. 

 Furthermore, it was felt that this sm-plus accumulation of males 

 meant not only a loss of revenue to the Government through failure 

 to market as many of the pelts as possible, but through damage to the 

 herd itself on account of the increased fighting on the part of the male 

 seals. It liad alwa^-s been believed that the pelts of older males 

 taken after the development of the so-called wig were practically 

 useless to furriers. Fortunately, experiments conducted at the new 

 dressing and dyeing plant at St. Louis on a limited number of large 

 skins taken at the Pribilofs had demonstrated that a skin from a 

 large seal could be dressed and dyed in such a manner that it com- 

 manded almost as great a market value as skins from 3 and 4 year old 

 seals. Under these conditions it was deemed highly desirable to 

 include a considerable number of large seals in tlie quota for 1919. 



In establishing the quota it was realized that the inclusion of 

 17,000 seals 6 years old or older would involve work possibly beyond 

 the facilities of the Bureau to accomplish. The killing and skinning 

 of a small seal and the curing of its skm is an easy task compared with 

 similar operations in respect to a full-grown bull seal. It was also 

 known that a further difficulty would be encoimtered by reason of the 

 fact that sm-plus large males would be found on the hauling grounds in 

 greatest abundance only in the early part of the season, being less and 

 less in evidence there as the season proceeded. It was thought best, 

 however, to fix the quota at the figures which the interests of the 

 service demanded and to accomplish as niuch as possible under the 

 circumstances. 



Tlirougli the year 1919 there were killed 7,731 seals 6 years old arid 

 over. \Vhih^ the number taken was very much below the number 

 planned, it is believed that much good has been accomplished in the 

 way of reducing the number of sui'plus males and in afi'ording the 

 means for increasing largely the Government's revenue from the 

 Pribilofs. 



KILLINGS OF SEALS. 



St. Paul Island. — During the calendar year 1919 there were killed 

 on St. Paul Island 24,053 seals. Aside from a few seals killed for 

 food and for scientific experimental purposes, they were obtained in 70 

 drives, the iirst on April 5 and the last on December IS. 



St. George Island. — Duiing the calendar j-ear 1919 there were 

 killed on St. George Island 3,76S seals. With the exception of a few, 

 these were se(;ured in 38 drives, the first on June 3 and the last on 

 November 7. 



The total number of seals killed on both islands in the calendar year 

 1919 was 27,821. The tables following show details in reg.-ird to the 

 killings in 1919. 



