B. C. SEA-LION INVESTIGATION 33 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 38a 



The following detailed reports were obtained from the fishermen in the neigh- 

 bourhood on Thursday morning:— 



Boat 139Y reported seeing two sea-lions near the nets the previous night. 



Boat 4867 reported being bothered the previous night by the sea-lions, but 

 not as much as the night before. 



Boat 4901 reported that sea-lions had torn the net the previous night. 



Boat 4876 reported that sea-lions had been seen all afternoon the day 

 before down by the point. 



Boat 1381, manned by a Jap, reported no trouble. 



Boat 1405, also manned by a Jap, reported that sea-lions were on the net 

 the night before between 8 and 9 o'clock. 



Boat 4791 reported , no trouble the previous iiight, but some the night 

 before. 



Boat 4588 reported that fish had been taken from the net and eaten about 

 11 o'clock the previous night. Claimed by fisherman that he had lost 50 fish 

 in a week, shown by the heads and tails left in the net. 



Boat 1398, manned by a Jap, reported that he had seen sea-lions in the 

 net about 10 o'clock in the morning. 



Boat 4915, from the Good Hope cannery, reported disturbance by sea-lions 

 in the net the previous night. 



An independent boat reported that he had seen sea-lions in the inlet at 

 4 o'clock the previous afternoon. 



Boat 4870, a Good Hope cannery boat, reported having seen sea-lions 

 during the night. 



Boat 4844 reported having noticed sea-lions in the inlet the previous night 

 at 9 o'clock. 



Boat 1416 reported that fish had been eaten by sea-lions on the net at 8 

 o'clock the previous night. 



Boat 1153, manned by a Jap, reported that he had not been bothered with 

 sea-lions. 



Boat 1394, manned by a Jap, reported having seen sea-lions in the fishing 

 area at 11 o'clock the previous night. 



After the negative results of Wednesday and Thursday nights, Manager Inrig 

 and Net Foreman Anderson (it may be mentioned here that cannery managers and 

 men, especially those at Wadhams where the commission made its headquarters, gave 

 every assistance in the investigation consistent with the serious demands on their 

 time occasioned by their own int-erests) intimated that some of the white fishermen 

 would be willing to give assistance. Accordingly, several of them were supplied with 

 ammunition and a substantial reward was offered for each sea-lion brought in. Louis 

 went out with one of these fishermen to be right at the net as Jimmie in the mean- 

 time had been discarded. Friday night proved no better than the others, although 

 some torn nets and mutilated fish were still shown as evidence of the sea-lions' 

 presence. 



The weekly close season lasts from 6 a.m. on Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday. The 

 net foreman offered the use of two nets for Saturday night if permission could be 

 obtained from Fisheries Overseer Saugstad, the idea being that if two nets, and 

 only two, were put out Saturday evening, all the inducements for the sea-lions would 

 be centred around these nets. Mr. Saugstad readily granted permission and arrange- 

 ments were made to carry the plan into effect. Two men were assigned to each boat. 

 S. Simonsen of Sea Otter cove, Y.I., went with Louis in the one boat, while G. 

 Bjerregard, of Holberg, V.I., and J. C. Holm, of Campbell river, V.L, manned the 

 other. From long experience these men were thoroughly acquainted with fishing 



