﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  71 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  skins 
  were 
  withheld 
  from 
  sale. 
  The 
  remainder, 
  numbering 
  

   1,896, 
  brv 
  light 
  S5',579 
  gross, 
  and 
  about 
  S50,950 
  net. 
  The 
  fur 
  trade 
  

   of 
  the 
  world 
  being 
  unsettled 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  skins 
  being 
  

   of 
  rather 
  poor 
  quality, 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  experiment 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  

   entirely 
  satisfactory. 
  The 
  sale 
  attracted 
  much 
  attention 
  and 
  was 
  

   attended 
  by 
  many 
  buyers 
  from 
  Europe 
  and 
  America. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1913 
  a 
  special 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  fur 
  seals 
  on 
  

   the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  George 
  A. 
  Clark, 
  who 
  had 
  con- 
  

   ducted 
  similar 
  investigations 
  on 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  previous 
  occasions. 
  

   The 
  results 
  of 
  his 
  enumeration 
  of 
  the 
  seal 
  herd 
  were 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  

   report 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau, 
  although 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  not 
  completed 
  until 
  the 
  

   fiscal 
  year 
  1913-14. 
  The 
  figures 
  showing 
  the 
  components 
  of 
  the 
  

   herd 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1913 
  are 
  here 
  given: 
  

  

  Active 
  bulls, 
  with 
  harems 
  (actvial 
  couBt) 
  1, 
  403 
  

  

  Idle 
  and 
  young 
  bulls 
  (actual 
  count) 
  364 
  

  

  Bachelors, 
  1, 
  2, 
  3, 
  and 
  4 
  years 
  old 
  (count 
  and 
  estimate) 
  47, 
  000 
  

  

  Cows, 
  1 
  and 
  2 
  years 
  old 
  (count 
  and 
  estimate) 
  35, 
  000 
  

  

  Breeding 
  cows 
  (equal 
  to 
  pups) 
  92, 
  269 
  

  

  Pups 
  (actual 
  count) 
  92, 
  269 
  

  

  Total 
  268, 
  305 
  

  

  The 
  North 
  Pacific 
  Sealing 
  Convention 
  of 
  July 
  7, 
  1911, 
  effective 
  

   December 
  15, 
  1911, 
  and 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  August 
  24, 
  1912, 
  giving 
  effect 
  to 
  

   that 
  convention, 
  permit 
  Indians 
  dwelling 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  coast 
  of 
  

   North 
  America 
  to 
  take 
  fur-seal 
  skins 
  under 
  certain 
  conditions. 
  As 
  

   far 
  as 
  this 
  Bureau 
  is 
  advised, 
  no 
  skins 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  

   Alaska 
  Indians 
  since 
  the 
  convention 
  became 
  effective. 
  In 
  April 
  and 
  

   May, 
  1913, 
  Indians 
  dwelling 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Washington 
  secured 
  91 
  

   skins, 
  and 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  the 
  Interior 
  has 
  advised 
  that 
  m 
  April, 
  

   191 
  ', 
  those 
  Indians 
  secured 
  14 
  skins. 
  Reports 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  sex 
  of 
  the 
  

   seals 
  from 
  which 
  these 
  skins 
  were 
  taken 
  show 
  that 
  for 
  1913 
  ninety 
  

   were 
  females 
  and 
  for 
  1914 
  twelve 
  were 
  females. 
  

  

  Due 
  effort 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  enforce 
  the 
  prohibiti 
  ^n 
  upon 
  pelagic 
  seaUng 
  

   and, 
  it 
  is 
  believed, 
  with 
  success. 
  Throughout 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  

   pelagic-seaUng 
  operations 
  were 
  possible, 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Revenue- 
  

   Cutter 
  Service 
  has 
  maintained 
  an 
  efhcient 
  patrol 
  for 
  the 
  prevention 
  

   of 
  such 
  operations, 
  three 
  vessels 
  being 
  assigned 
  to 
  the 
  work 
  in 
  1913 
  

   and 
  1914. 
  These 
  vessels 
  also 
  render 
  great 
  service 
  to 
  the 
  Bureau 
  in 
  

   connection 
  w^ith 
  its 
  administration 
  of 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands 
  by 
  trans- 
  

   porting 
  mail, 
  officials, 
  and 
  limited 
  quantities 
  of 
  supplies. 
  Early 
  in 
  

   the 
  calendar 
  year 
  1914 
  there 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  Bureau 
  information 
  which 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  certain 
  persons 
  contemplated 
  engaging 
  in 
  

  

  {)elagic 
  sealing 
  during 
  the 
  coming 
  season. 
  Orders 
  were 
  issued 
  prompt- 
  

   y 
  to 
  various 
  officers 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  to 
  inform 
  themselves 
  regardmg 
  

   any 
  plans 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  illegal 
  sealing 
  op3rations 
  and 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  

   Bureau 
  fully 
  advised 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  matter. 
  Nothing 
  definite 
  

   was 
  learned, 
  however, 
  in 
  reference 
  to 
  any 
  prop 
  )sed 
  illegal 
  operations. 
  

   In 
  January, 
  1914, 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  recommended 
  to 
  

   the 
  Secretary 
  the 
  nommation 
  by 
  outside 
  agencies 
  of 
  three 
  duly 
  (|uali- 
  

   fied 
  persons, 
  not 
  previously 
  identified 
  with 
  fur-seal 
  matters, 
  to 
  whom 
  

   should 
  be 
  intrusted 
  a 
  full 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  herd. 
  This 
  was 
  

   done 
  that 
  the 
  Department 
  might 
  have 
  for 
  its 
  guidance 
  and 
  be 
  in 
  position 
  

   to 
  submit 
  to 
  Congress 
  data 
  and 
  recommendations 
  regarding 
  the 
  Alaskan 
  

   seals 
  which 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  open 
  to 
  criticism 
  as 
  coming 
  from 
  persons 
  

  

  