42 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 



without actually breakiuf^- up and destroying the breeding 

 rookeries) do not arrive in notable proportions till June, 

 and, in common with other seals upon the islands, become 

 " stagey," and incapable of yielding good skins about the 

 middle of August. The ])rofltable killing ou the Pribyioft" 

 Islands is thus naturally limited, as a maximum, to a period 

 of about two months, and as a rule and under normal cir- 

 cumstances, the annual quota has been completed 

 22 within thirty to tifty working days, during which 



the slaughter is carried ou at a numerical ratio many 

 times greater than that attainable during any period of the 

 l)elagic killing. 



134. With seals killed at sea, the skins are never found 

 to be in a " stagey" condition, as has been ascertained by 

 inquiries specially made on this point, and there is, there- 

 fore, no naturally definite close to the time of profitable 

 killing, such as occurs on the islands. The markedly 

 "stagey" character of the skins at a particular season 

 appears to be confined to those seals wliich have remained 

 for a considerable time on the land. 



Close seasons 135. Without, therefore, entering at length into a com- 

 appiicabie.'^"""^ parisou of ths respective effects of close seasons at sea or 

 on shore, it may be stated that, with the exception of the 

 months of July and August, any close time whatever would 

 have practically no effect on the killing on the islands, while 

 several of the months which might be chosen would seri- 

 ously affect sealing at sea. If, again, June or July should 

 be chosen as a close month, it would shorten the time of 

 killing upon the islands, but without necessarily reducing 

 the number killed; while an endeavour to insert such a 

 month of inaction, in the middle of the season of pelagic 

 sealing, would not only be very difficult in proper enforce- 

 ment, ijut, if enforced, would i)ractically break uj) the seal- 

 ing voyages, as the vessels engaged are then far from their 

 home ports. 



other means of 136. Limitations of number of other kinds have, how- 

 reguiation. evcr, bccu proposcd as applicable to the regulation of pe- 

 lagic sealing. Thus, it has been suggested that the number 

 of seals to be taken by each vessel should be limited ac- 

 cording to tonnage; tliat the whole number of vessels 

 employed should be limited; that those engaged in sealing 

 be required to obtain a license; and that a limited number 

 of personal licenses should be .supplied to individual 

 hunters. 



Some such ]irovisions might be found to possess a par- 

 tial applicability, but while they might be useful portions 

 of a greater whole, they could not by themselves become 

 efficient sj'stems of control. 



Combined limi- ^37 j^^^ eouitable basis of protection is therefore not to 



tationoftimeaiul , „ ■■ . ; 1 -, j ■ /. • 1 i t 



number. be fouud lu the adoption of any simple and corresponding 



close season, including a part of each year applicable to 

 both shore and sea alike; but as pelagic sealing might 

 easily be regulated by the adoption of a close season, while 

 shore sealing might with equal facility be governed by a 

 limit of number, it seems probable that some compromise 

 of interest may be arrived at by a combination of these 

 methods. . 



