50 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1915. 
Seals breed in Le Conte Bay, near Wrangell, where each year a few natives repair 
to take females just before the pups are born, as the skins of the unborn pups are prized 
as well as their flesh. The writer attempted to visit the bay at this time, but the trip 
was not successful, as the entrance of the bay was entirely blockaded by ice so that the 
head of the bay could not be reached. At a later date another trip was made with 
slightly better success. Near the head of the bay, within about half a mile of the face 
of Le Conte Glacier, seals were found on the ice in considerable numbers. Several were 
killed in a short time, but not one could be recovered. The young were fairly well 
grown and were no more easy to kill than the adults. They all soon became wary 
and kept out of range. An estimate of the numbers in the bay at the time could not 
be made, as the head of the bay could not be reached because of the ice, and there were 
doubtless many which were not seen at all. It seems probable that by a further study 
of the situation in this bay locations on land might be chosen from which considerable 
numbers might be killed, particularly about the time the young are born. It is not 
possible to kill them on the ice with clubs in such a place as this, as the ice is broken 
from the face of the glacier and is extremely irregular in shape and there is nothing in 
the way of floes or flat pieces of any size on which it is safe to land or even approach 
closely. It is probable that Le Conte Bay is the principal breeding ground that sup- 
plies the Stikine region, and by the adoption of suitable measures to destroy the seals 
in this bay their numbers on the flats and at the rivers should be greatly reduced and 
a considerable saving be effected in the salmon fishery. 
The supply of seals for the Taku region is probably from breeding grounds near 
Taku Glacier, and those at the Chilkat and Chilkoot Rivers probably come from 
Davidson Glacier or one of those in that vicinity, and it is likely that in Glacier Bay 
are one or more rookeries that in a degree supply the Icy Strait region. 
Seals have been reported to breed at a few points in southeastern Alaska away from 
glaciers, and it may be that at these places they leave the water far enough to render it 
possible to kill them with clubs or at least make some form of shooting more success- 
ful than has so far been experienced. To the present time it has not been possible to 
visit these places or verify the reports. 
At the Stikine the seals are very abundant at times on the flats and at other times they 
ascend the river to eddies where they congregate in considerable numbers. They are 
common in the river far above the boundary between the United States and Canada. 
Possibly a successful way of netting or trapping them in these eddies or in the rivers 
might be devised. Also suitable points for shooting them when in the eddies might 
be located. 
In the experiments so far conducted in killing the seals high-power rifles with soft- 
point bullets have been used, but if any considerable percentage of the bodies is to be 
recovered some other method must be adopted, as these bullets kill instantly and 
usually tear such a hole that apparently there is not sufficient air remaining in the body 
to buoy it for the few seconds necessary to pick it up. In addition to the sugges- 
tions noted above for further study of the matter, it is desirable to experiment with 
long-range shotguns shooting heavy shot and also with small-caliber, low-power rifles, 
neither of which would tear such holes and probably not kill so quickly. Also experi- 
ments with hard-point high-power rifle bullets might prove valuable. Other work 
that should be tried and which it is thought would prove fruitful of results is the locat- 
ing of all the breeding grounds and ascertaining what methods are best adapted to 
each, the carrying on of the above-mentioned experiments with various guns and 
ammunitions, the selecting of points on land for shooting the animals in the water 
and on the ice in the rivers in the spring, the ascertaining of the percentages of bodies 
recoverable by the native method of shooting the seals at high tide when over the 
flats and picking them up at low tide, studying the possibilities of netting and trapping, 
and some minor ideas that have been suggested or have occurred to the writer. 
