FUR-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 



237 



362, 3G3, Feb. 29, 1912, Ho. Com. Exp. 

 Dept. Com. and Labor.) 



Dr. IIoRNADAY. The miuimum weight 

 is what? 



Mr. Lembkey. Five pounds. During 

 food drives made by the natives, when 

 the seals killed are limited to 6i pounds, 

 in order to exclude all these o-year-olds 

 branded during the summer, you under- 

 stand the natives do kill down a little 

 more closely than our regulations allow, 

 for the reason that they need the meat, 

 and since they have to exclude all these 

 fine, fat seals over 6i pounds they go for 

 the little fellows a little more closely. 

 (Dixon Hearing, U. S. Sen. Com. Cons. 

 Nat. Res., Feb. 4, 1911, pp. 14, 15. 



The seal contractor swears that 

 the "good conscientious" Bureau 

 of Fisheries' agents should have 

 full swing and control on the is- 

 lands. 



The Chairman. I mean, in the present 

 depleted condition of the herd, if there 

 should be a short closed season, so that 

 the seals can multiply and then do what 

 you say. Would that be good policy, in 

 your judgment? 



Mr. LiEBES. Well, I said, leave it to the 

 people on the islands; if they find they 

 can not take any, let them not take any; 

 there should be no compulsion to take 

 any; but if the people on the islands may 

 take any, then take the surplus. 



The Chairman. But you see you as- 

 sume that the people on the islands will 

 do the right thing, and I do not mean to 

 insinuate they would do anything but 

 what is right; however, I am trying to get 

 your real opinion of the thing in the 

 record . 



Mr. LiEBES. As you stated, there might 

 be some danger in leaving it to the officers 

 on the islands, but I do not think the dan- 

 ger would be as great as instructions given 

 from Washington in the best of faith, 

 because they might meet other conditions 

 when they arrive there. I think the 

 lesser evil, if there are any evils, is to 

 allow the officer in charge to determine. 



The Chairman. A great deal, of course, 

 must be intrusted to the people in charge. 

 - Mr. LiEBES. Well, not necessarily so. 

 li they are allowed to recuperate, they 

 will be all right. They will be able to 

 take seals each year, and I certainly think 

 that is the only way to do. This idea of 

 shutting down for a number of years is 

 unnecessary and absolute rot. You have 

 got to run your seal herd like you would 

 run a stock range; it has got to be left to 

 people who understand the business, and 

 m the discretion of the officers in charge, 

 men of ability, if you have confidence in 

 them, and from what I have seen of the 



have resulted from tliis reservation were 

 the 513 idle and half bulls. Even if we 

 assume that they have in the meantime 

 replaced the entire stock of breeding bulls 

 this would account for only 1,900 of them, 

 and the active bulls were for the most 

 part of a distinctly older class. (Rept. 

 G. A. Clark to Sec. Nagel, Sept. 30, 

 1909, p. 847, Appendix A, June 24, 1911. 

 H. Com. Exp. Dept. Com. and Labor.) 



But when they get up there, 

 Liebes asks that they give him 

 full swing, and they do. 



St. Pauls Island, Alaska. 



[Journal of the chief special agent in charge of Seal 

 Islands. 



Thursday, June 9, 1892.— Mr. J. Stanley- 

 Brown arrived and took the place of Maj. 

 ■^'illiams as LTnited States agent in 

 charge of the Seal Islands (p. 2). 



Friday, July 8, 1892.— The entire con- 

 trol and management of the killing 

 grounds and killing of the seals were given 

 to Mr. Fowler, of the N. A. C. Co., by 

 order of Mr. J. Stanley-Brown, agent in 

 charge, and Assistant Agent Murray was 

 ordered to count the seals. 



The killing is entii'ely directed by the 

 agent of the lessees who directs the grade 

 of seal to be taken. (Report of Chief Spl. 

 Agt. J. B. Crowley, Nov. 1, 1896.) 



This season (1909) they (the drives) 

 have been entii'ely in the hands of the 

 lessees * * * the lessees have been 

 free to take what they could get. (Re- 

 port of G. A. Clark, Sept. 30, 1909, to Sec. 

 Nagel, Dept. Com. and Labor, pp. 

 829-866, Appendix A, June 24, 1911, 

 H. Com. Exp. Dept. Com. and Labor.) 



