30 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 



ground a radius of protectiou about the breediug" islands, 

 extending beyond the ordinary limit of territorial juris- 

 diction, is advocated as a measure of material benefit. 

 Eflv. ( <,f high 84. In addition to the circumstances obtaining on the 

 '"'"'■■'• breeding islands, and the inceptiou and growth of pelagic 



sealing, the high i)rices ruling for skins during the past 

 few years have to a considerable extent stimulated the 

 hunting of seals by uatives all along the coast. They have 

 also teuded to incite, on the part of the more lawless 

 sealers, raids upon the shores of the breeding islands 

 themselves, many of which have proved successful in con- 

 sequence of the wholly inadequate protection which has 

 heretofore been accorded to these shores; but, so far as we 

 have been able to ascertain, no schooners sailing from 

 British Columbia under the British Hag have even been 

 detected as participants in such raids on the Pribyloff 

 Islands. 



(E.) — Fortner and yresetit Condition of the Industry. 



Seals becom- §5^ Pcrliaps thc uiost jiotablc result of the above-men- 

 mg more pe agio. ^.^^^^^^ co-opcratiug causcs, embracing the disturbance of 

 conditions on the breeding islands consequent on close and 

 persistent driving and great paucity of males, on raids 

 made upon the shores of the islands, and on hunting at sea 

 during the northward migration of the seals, has been to 

 render that animal even more than before strictly pelagic 

 in habit. 



80. Seals not actually engaged in breeding, including 

 young seals of both sexes and barren or unimpregnated, 

 though mature females, have either not landed upon the 

 islands, or have remained there for but a short time; and 

 thus the aggregate number to be seen on shore at any one 

 time has of late years become notably reduced. 



More than ever 87. At thc sauic tlmc, thc general consensus of the state- 

 ments obtained from persons occupied in pelagic sealing 

 goes to show that there lias been no similar decrease in the 

 number of seals found at sea, but rather a possible increase 

 during the corresponding years. The evidence of a gen- 

 eral kind to this effect does not stand alone, but is fully 

 confirmed hy an analysis of the annual catch of the British 

 Columbian sealing fleet for the past few years, as exhibited 

 in the subjoined table, in which the average number of 

 skins obtained to each canoe or boat, and to each man 

 employed in the x)elagic sealing industry is given : 



found at sea. 



1887. 

 1888. 

 1889. 

 1890. 

 1891. 



Number of 



Seala per 



Canoe 



or Boat. 



Number of 



Seals 

 per Man. 



161 .56 



143 I 55 



15C j 58 



160 I 59 



134 i 4r. 



