226 



FUE-SEAL HEED OE ALASKA. 



VI. 



The sworn statements of W. I. Lembkey, chief special agent, in charge of the seal islands 

 of Alaska, who is one of the experts cited to the United States Senate Committee on 

 Conservation of National Resources, January 14, 1911, and to the House Committee 

 on Expenditures in the Department of Commerce and Labor, July 9, 1911, by Secretary 

 Charles Nagel as his authority for killing seals in violation of latv and regulations, 

 to wit: 



Mr. Cable. Give the names of the members of the advisory board. 



Mr. Bowers. The members of the fur-seal board and of the advisory board, fur- 

 seal service, are as follows : 



Fur-Seal Board, 



Bureau op Fisheries. 



In the Bureau of Fisheries, general matters regarding the fur seals are considered by 

 a fur-seal board, consisting of the following: 



Dr. Barton Warren Evermann (chairman), who is chief of the Alaska Fisheries 

 Service and who has been in Alaska a number of times. He was a member of the 

 fur-seal commission of 1892, when he spent six months in the North Pacific and Ber- 

 ing Sea and on the seal islands studying the fur seal. 



Mr. Walter I. Lembkey, who has been in immediate charge of the seal islands for 

 many years; appointed March 22, 1899. (Hearing No. 2, p. 109, June 9, 1911.) 



THE DEADLY PARALLEL. 



Lembkey swears that he does 

 not kill yearling seals. 



Committee on Expenditures 

 IN the Department of 



Commerce and Labor, 

 House of Representatives, 

 Washington, Thursday, February 29, 1912. 



The committee met at 11 o'clock a. m., 

 Hon. John H. Rothermel (chairman) 

 presiding. 



testimony of WALTER I. LEMBKEY, AGENT 

 ALASKA SEAL FISHERIES, BUREAU OF 

 FISHERIES, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

 AND LABOR. 



Mr. Lembkey. Our killing is confined 

 to 2 and 3 year old males exclusively. 

 The seals which they desire to kill are 

 dispatched at once by means of a blow 

 on the top of the head with a heavy club, 

 and the seal struck is rendered uncon- 

 cious immediately, if not killed out- 

 right. (Hearing No. 9, p. 360, Feb. 29, 

 1912, H. Com. Exp. Dept. Com. and 

 Labor.) 



But Clark, special investigat- 

 ing expert, reports that yearlings 

 are killed — ''no seal too small'' 

 for killing. 



July 23. — Attended the killing at 

 Northeast Point and looked over the 

 rookeries again after the drive. There 

 are 5 harems to-day on the west side of 

 Sea Lion Neck, where only 3 were found 

 on the 14th. 



A killing was made at Halfway Point as 

 usual on the return trip. It yielded 32 

 skins. Fifteen animals — young bulls — 

 too large for killing and 9 shaved heads 

 were exempted, but no small seals what- 

 ever. As the end of the killing season 

 approaches it is plain that no seal is 

 really too small to be killed . Skins of less 

 than 5 pounds weight are taken and also 

 skins of 8 and 9 pounds. These latter 

 are plainly animals which escaped the 

 killing of last year because their heads 

 were shaved . Otherwise it does not seem 

 clear how they did escape. 



July 31. — This is the last day of sealing, 

 and preparations are being made to drive 

 every rookery. The killing from Reef 

 and Gorbatch yields 660 skins. This 

 represents 76 per cent of the animals 

 driven. One himdred and ten seals are 

 obtained from Lukanin and Kitovi. No 

 small seals are rejected in this drive; 21 

 small ones are left from the Reef drive. 

 Nineteen skins are obtained at Halfway 

 Point. The drive at Northeast Point 

 gives 330 skins; 15 small ones only are 

 exempted. Zapadni, redriven to-day, 

 gives 41 additional skins taken. Three 

 small ones are released. At the drive 

 yesterday from this rookery 39 small 



