﻿72 
  REPORT 
  OP 
  THE 
  COMMISSIOKER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  who 
  had 
  been 
  parties 
  to 
  the 
  long 
  controversy 
  and 
  who 
  might 
  therefore 
  

   be 
  regarded 
  by 
  Congress 
  as 
  committed 
  in 
  advance 
  to 
  a 
  particuhir 
  Une 
  

   of 
  poHcy. 
  It 
  was 
  felt 
  that 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  investigated 
  the 
  subject, 
  

   and 
  had 
  frequently 
  made 
  known 
  their 
  findings 
  and 
  views, 
  would 
  wel- 
  

   come 
  a 
  new 
  inquiry, 
  the 
  verification 
  of 
  the 
  facts 
  established 
  bv 
  pre- 
  

   vious 
  scientists, 
  and 
  recommendations 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  new 
  conditions 
  

   that 
  are 
  now 
  affecting 
  the 
  herd. 
  Pursuant 
  to 
  this 
  recommendation 
  

   the 
  Secretary 
  requested 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  and 
  the 
  Secre- 
  

   tary 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  Institution 
  each 
  to 
  name 
  an 
  expert, 
  and 
  the 
  

   President 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  invoked 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Acad- 
  

   emy 
  of 
  Sciences 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  end. 
  In 
  due 
  time 
  the 
  nominations 
  were 
  

   made, 
  as 
  follows: 
  By 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  Edward 
  A. 
  Preble, 
  

   of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Biological 
  Survey, 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture; 
  by 
  

   the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  institution, 
  Wilfred 
  H. 
  Osgood, 
  of 
  

   the 
  Field 
  Museum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History, 
  Chicago; 
  by 
  the 
  National 
  

   Academy 
  of 
  Sciences, 
  Prof. 
  George 
  H. 
  Parker, 
  of 
  Harvard 
  University. 
  

   Formal 
  appointment 
  of 
  these 
  gentlemen 
  as 
  special 
  assistants 
  was 
  

   made, 
  full 
  individual 
  and 
  joint 
  instructions 
  w^ere 
  issued, 
  and 
  they 
  left 
  

   for 
  the 
  seal 
  islands 
  on 
  a 
  revenue 
  cutter 
  sailing 
  from 
  Seattle 
  early 
  in 
  

   June, 
  1914. 
  A 
  detailed 
  report, 
  with 
  recommendations, 
  is 
  expected 
  

   from 
  these 
  assistants 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  their 
  inquiries 
  are 
  completed. 
  

  

  Independently 
  of 
  the 
  dispatch 
  of 
  these 
  special 
  investigators 
  on 
  

   behalf 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  the 
  British 
  and 
  Japanese 
  Governments 
  

   intimated 
  their 
  desire 
  to 
  send 
  experts 
  to 
  the 
  seal 
  islands, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Bureau 
  took 
  steps 
  to 
  provide 
  transportation 
  and 
  other 
  facilities 
  

   therefor. 
  

  

  MINOR 
  FUR-BEjbllNG 
  ANIMALS 
  OF 
  ALASKA. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  a 
  defect 
  in 
  the 
  act 
  containing 
  the 
  appropriations 
  for 
  the 
  

   Bureau, 
  considerable 
  embarrassment 
  w^as 
  experienced 
  at 
  the 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  of 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  enforcement 
  of 
  the 
  law^ 
  pro- 
  

   tecting 
  the 
  fur-bearing 
  animals 
  of 
  Alaska. 
  The 
  act 
  contained 
  no 
  

   authority 
  for 
  expenses 
  of 
  the 
  warden 
  service, 
  but 
  a 
  later 
  deficiency 
  

   bill 
  made 
  available 
  a 
  certain 
  sum 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  

   thereafter 
  was 
  pushed 
  actively. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  cases 
  of 
  violations 
  of 
  

   law 
  and 
  regulations 
  - 
  mcluding 
  the 
  killing 
  of 
  beaver, 
  the 
  poisoning 
  

   of 
  foxes, 
  and 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  unprime 
  skins 
  — 
  were 
  successfully 
  

   prosecuted. 
  

  

  The 
  recent 
  impetus 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  rearing 
  fur-bearing 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  in 
  captivity 
  resulted 
  in 
  numerous 
  requests 
  for 
  permission 
  to 
  

   capture 
  animals 
  in 
  the 
  close 
  season 
  for 
  use 
  for 
  such 
  purposes. 
  The 
  

   Department 
  decided 
  that 
  the 
  proper 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  fur-farming 
  

   industry 
  in 
  Alaska 
  demanded 
  that 
  some 
  provision 
  be 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  

   taking 
  of 
  certain 
  fur-bearing 
  animals 
  for 
  use 
  for 
  breeding 
  purposes 
  in 
  

   Alaska 
  during 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  the 
  killing 
  of 
  such 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  is 
  prohibited. 
  By 
  the 
  revised 
  regulations 
  for 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  

   fur-bearing 
  animals 
  in 
  Alaska, 
  promulgated 
  as 
  Department 
  Circular 
  

   No. 
  246, 
  second 
  edition, 
  under 
  date 
  ot 
  June 
  22, 
  1914, 
  the 
  taking 
  alive 
  

   of 
  land 
  otter 
  and 
  mink 
  for 
  use 
  for 
  breeding 
  purposes 
  in 
  Alaska 
  is 
  per- 
  

   mitted 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  from 
  April 
  1 
  to 
  June 
  30, 
  both 
  days 
  inclu- 
  

   sive, 
  of 
  each 
  year; 
  and 
  of 
  foxes 
  and 
  marten 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  from 
  

   March 
  15 
  to 
  June 
  30, 
  both 
  days 
  inclusive, 
  of 
  each 
  year. 
  It 
  is 
  assumed 
  

   that 
  the 
  wide 
  latitude 
  allow^ed 
  for 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  these 
  animals 
  for 
  

   breeding 
  purposes 
  in 
  Alaska 
  is 
  amply 
  sufficient 
  for 
  the 
  needs 
  of 
  all 
  

  

  