38 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 



an iiutomatic |>i'inciple of regulation sufficient to prevent 

 the possible destruction of the industry if practised only 

 at sea. The growth of pelagic sealing' proper, even though 

 so recent in its origin, already begins to contribute experi- 

 ence in support of this view. The seals Avhen at sea occupy 

 a given area of surface, and there is thus a natural limit to 

 the number of boats or canoes which can work that area 

 witliout interfering to a (;ertain extent with each other's 

 success. The increasing wariness of the seal has already 

 been alluded to, and it is also to be borne in mind that seal- 

 ing at sea can only be carried on in calm weather, seals 

 obtaining absolute "rest" while stormy weatiier prevails. 

 Protectioii sea ] 19. It is, therefore, abundantly evident, if we iudge by 



alone ouiti? iirnt- ' 7 «« c> «/ 



equate! actual experience, that a coutrol of Seal life beginning aud 



ending with protection at sea, either partial oi- absolute, 

 can do no more than palliate, and certainly cannot mate- 

 rially lessen, the danger to seal life as a whole, unless such 

 control be devised and adopted in close co operation with 

 agreed upon ecpiivalent measures on the breeding islands. 

 lUO. Whether from the i)oint of view of expediency or 

 from tliat of justice, this must be the dominant principle of 

 any regulation, and while it is improbable that any scheme 

 of measures would be seriously proposed v.iiich neglects 

 this princi])le, it cannot be too plainly stated that if the 

 attempt is made to regulate the killing of seals on shore or 

 at sea without the provision of concurrent restrictions upon 

 the other method, the result at best would be a curtailment 

 of slaughter in one direction, the door being left open to a 

 more than equivalent slaughter in the other, und no security 

 being obtained. It therefore follows that, as one class of 

 restrictions must be applied within jurisdictional limits, and 

 the other requires regulations applicable to all comers upon 

 the high seas, the subject of measures must be considered 

 as one of conventional agreement, concession, or bargain 

 as between the Powers interested. It will also be remem- 

 bered, that the primary plea for such an arrangement has 

 been that advanced in their own interest by the possessors 

 of the breeding islands; but it is believed, on the other 

 hand, that had no such plea been made, the interests of 

 the jselagic sealers w^ould, in the natural course of events, 

 have led them to press for a better protection of the breed- 

 ing x)laces of the seals ashore, in the interests of their own 

 branch of the industry. 

 Suggested prr;- 20 121. It lias bccu poiutcd out, aud wc bclievc it to 



inbition on shore. ^^^ probablc, that if all killing of seals were prohibited 



on the breeding islands, and these were strictly protected 

 and safe-guarded against encroachment of any kind, sealing 

 at sea might be indefinitely continued without any notable 

 diminution, in consequence of the self-regulative tendency 

 of this industry. 

 New metiioda 122. The natural development of pelagic methods of seal- 



slry'!'^'^™" '"'^^'■''■ing has rendered it now no longer possible to preserve the 

 seals merely by restricting the catch on the breeding islands, 

 and the old methods of urili/ing the seals on these islands, 

 and of alfording them a measure of protection there during 

 the season at which they come to laud for breeding purposes, 



