SEAL FISHERIES 719 



The rise of pelagic sealing was rapid. From one vessel in 1879 the seahng fleet 

 expanded to 122 vessels in 1891. The pelagic sealing fleet reached its peak in 

 1894, when the ocean catch from the Pribilof herd totaled 143,000 animals. 

 Thereafter, the pelagic catch declined, and in 1902 did not exceed 15,000 seals. 



Sealing on land could be controlled and the animals to be killed were selected 

 with respect to sex and age. At sea, however, all animals were targets. The result 

 was the loss of many injui-ed animals, and many that were killed outright could 

 not be reached. In all cases the killing of female seals at sea meant the destruction 

 of an unborn pup or of a pup left on shore to starve. The pelagic sealing catch, 

 therefore, did not reflect accurately the drain on the herd. 



Though pelagic sealing was an extremely wasteful process, nothing could be 

 done about it because it was carried on in waters beyond the control of the coun- 

 tries possessing the rookeries. An effort was made by the United States to prevent 

 sealing in the Bering Sea. Acting upon the precedent established by Russia in the 

 Ukase of 1821 the United States seized and confiscated a number of the sealing 

 vessels that entered the Bering Sea. A lengthy controversy with Great Britain 

 ensued since the pelagic fleet was very largely of Canadian registry. In 1892 the 

 entire matter was remanded to a tribunal of arbitration for settlement of the ques- 

 tion of jurisdiction over fur seals on the high seas, and also for recommendation 

 of measures for the protection of fur seals. The tribunal of arbitration met in Paris 

 in 1893 and denied the United States authority to exercise jurisdiction over Pribilof 

 Islands' fur seals when such animals were more than 3 miles from shore. Regula- 

 tions were formulated, the essential features of which were the establishment of 

 a closed zone of 60 miles about the islands in the Bering Sea and a closed season 

 from May 1 to August 1, within which all pelagic sealing was prohibited. These 

 regulations were inadequate and the Pribilof herd continued to decline. 



By 1910 this once great herd numbered only 130,000 animals. Pelagic sealing 

 as well as land killing was unprofitable. Timely and concerted action by conserva- 

 tionists of the United States, Great Britain, Japan, and Russia finally succeeded in 

 getting their countries to accept the terms of the fur-seal treaty of 1911. Under the 

 terms of this convention the nationals of each of the treaty powers were prohibited 

 from engaging in pelagic sealing in the waters of the Pacific Ocean north of the 

 thirtieth parallel of north latitude, including the Seas of Bering, Kamchatka, 

 Okhotsk, and Japan. Exception was made for aborigines using primitive methods 

 in treaty waters. Management of fur seals on land was left to the country having 

 jurisdiction over the rookery area, and provision was made for Japan and Canada 

 each to receive 15 per cent of the land killings by the United States and Russia, 

 and for the United States, Russia, and Canada to each receive 10 per cent of the 

 land killings on Japanese seal islands. Great Britain had no shores frequented by 

 fur seals within the protected area. This convention, as drawn, was to remain in 

 effect for 15 years and thereafter, until one of the treaty powers should give one 

 year's notice of desire to terminate it. Japan gave notice of abrogation on Octo- 

 ber 23, 1940, and the treaty was terminated on October 23, 1941. 



A provisional fur-seal agreement was entered into by the United States and 

 the Dominion of Canada on December 19, 1942, and a new Alaska fur-seal law, 

 giving effect to the provisional agreement, was approved on February 26, 1944. 

 With enforcing legislation by the Canadian Government the agreement provides, 

 among other things, for continuation of the prohibition on pelagic sealing, and for 



