172 



FUK-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



Assistant Agent Judge, in order 

 to save the "spared" 3-year-olds 

 from being all killed as 'food 

 seals/' urges a 7-pound maximum 

 skin limit for such seals. 



Presuming that branding of bachelors 

 is to continue, a rule fixing a maximum 

 weight of 7 pounds for food skins taken in 

 the fall would save the 3-year-olds, which 

 I take to be the all-important object. 

 (Appendix, A, p. 180: Report of Asst. 

 Agent Jas. Judge, St. George Island. June 

 5, 1905, H. Com. Exp. Dept. Com. and 

 Labor, June 24, 1911.) 



than 2 years old, or those seals which have 

 retiirned to the islands from their second 

 migration. 



Mr. TowNSEND. That is a regulation of 

 the Secretary of Commerce and Labor? 



Mr. Lembkey. Of Commerce and 

 Labor; yes, sir. (Hearing No. 9, p. 372, 

 Mar. 1, 1912.) 



But Lembkey, with the Bureau 

 of Fisheries "science," orders an 

 "8^-pound" maximum food skin 

 limit, so as to get those "re- 

 served" seals of June and July 

 in October and November follow- 

 ing. 



Mr. McGuiRE. Right there, Mr. Lemb- 

 key, did you prohibit their killing them? 



Mr. Lembkey. I did. 



Mr. McGuiRE. Over 4 years of age? 



Mr. Lembkey. I did. 



Mr. Elliott. In 1904? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes. 



Mr. Elliott. Did you do it in 1905? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes. 



Mr. Elliott. How did you do it? You 

 had no brand on them. 



Mr. Lembkey. By fixing a limit of 

 8^ pounds on tlie skins to be taken. 



Mr. Elliott. How could you preserve 

 any skins without having them marked? 



Mr. Lembkey. We would avoid the 

 killing of them and thereby preserve 

 them. If you do not kill a seal you allow 

 it to live, do you not? 



Mr. Elliott. My dear sir. how do you 

 know what you see hereafter? Every seal 

 after it passes its third year without a 

 mark on it, you kill it. 



Mr. Lembkey. I beg your pardon? 



Mr. Elliott. Every seal that passed 

 from its third year, that passed from 1904, 

 became a 4-year-okl in 1905, did it not? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes. (Hearing No. 9, 

 p. 458, Apr. 13, 1912, H. Com. Exp. 

 Dept. Com. and Labor.) 



[Instructions issued Mar. 9, 1900.] 



Dr. Evermann: 



"Sec. 8. Sizes of killuble seals. — No 

 seals shall be killed having skin weighing 

 less than 5 pounds nor more than 8J 

 pounds. 



"Sec. 10. Seals for food. — The number 

 of seals to be killed by the natives for food 

 for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1906, 

 shall not exceed 1,700 on the island of St. 

 Paul and 500 on the island of St. George, 

 subject to the same limitations and re- 

 strictions as apply to the killing of seals by 

 the companv for the quota." (Hearing 

 No. 10, pp. "483, 484; Apr. 20. 1912.) 



