REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 45 



a livelihood aud to the amount of capital invested, so that 

 the measures adopted may be such as to recommend them- 

 selves on the ground of common interest. 



(/,) The controlling* Regulations should be so framed as 

 to admit of varying' degrees of stringency in accordance 

 with the changing exigencies of the case. 



III. — Measures for the Protection and Preservation of the 

 Fur-seal of the North Pacific. 



(A.) — General Nature of Measures required. 



146. The actual measures necessary for the proper protection and 

 preservation of the fur-seal fall under two heads, namely: 



(i.) Improvements in the methods of taking seals; 

 (ii.) Eestriction in the number of seals taken. 

 24 Those of the latter class are the more important, but as the 



"improvements in methods" are more easily dealt with, and are 

 scarcely open to question, these may be first outlined. 



(i.) — Iiwprovements in the Methods of tdkhuj Seals. 



147. On the Breeding Islands. — The " drives" should be made as short 

 as possible, say, not to exceed half-a-mile as a maximum. They should 

 be carried out with due deliberation, avoiding excessive hurry, and 

 under the personal supervision of a responsible officer, and all seals not 

 intended to be killed should, as far as possible, be "cut out" at an early 

 stage in each "drive." 



The actual clubbing of the seals should be performed with greater 

 care, avoiding injury or death to seals not intended to be taken. 



148. Care should be exercised to avoid disturbing the actual breeding 

 rookeries in any way, and no seals not capable of yielding merchantable 

 skins tshould ever be killed. 



The breeding islands should be fully secured against "raids," a com- 

 petent guard, with authority to repel any attempts at landing, being 

 provided; while some armed vessel should remain about the islands 

 during the whole of each sealing season, say, from the 1st June to oOth 

 November. 



149. At Sea. — Here most of the improvements in methods which may 

 be suggested, necessarily partake of the character of restrictions which 

 may tend directly to reduce the number of seals taken. Such improve- 

 ments therefore require to be considered in their connection with the 

 general regulations projiosed for the restriction in number of seals 

 killed. 



150. The most important improvements or restrictions which may be 

 treated from the side of " methods" are as follows: 



Prohibition of the use of riHes in shooting seals at sea, and of the 

 employment of nets as a means of capture. 



The adoption of a system of personal licences for White hunters, such 

 licences to be renewable annually, and revokable for proved breach of 

 any of the regulations provided. 



Vessels propelled by machinery to pay an increased licence fee, or to 

 be wholly excluded from sealing. 



