REPORT OP BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 49 



(i(.) — Recurrent Periods of Rest. 



105. This implies the provision of a period of rest, or exemption of all 

 seals from killing, both at sea and on shore, to extend over a comiilete 



year, at such recurrent intervals as may be deemed necessary. 

 27 Such a period of rest might be fixed in advance for every fifth, 



or i>ossibly as often as every fourth, year, and be made to form a 

 part of a general scheme imposing limitation of number of seals killed 

 on the islands in intervening years, together with restriction by time or 

 by area of ])elagic sealing. 



While proximately equal in effect on both shore and sea killing, a 

 period of rest of this kind would, in other respects, cause some incon- 

 venience by its interrux)tion of the several industries, and this, though 

 minimized by the fact that the date of occurrence of the year of rest 

 would be known in advance, would not be wholly obviated by this 

 circumstance. 



{in.) — Total Prohibition of Killing on the Breeding Islands, tvith Concurrent strict Regu- 

 lation of Pelagic Sealing. 



166. While the circumstance that long usage may in a measure be 

 considered as justifying the custom of killing fur-seals on the breeding 

 islands, many facts now known respecting the life history of the animal 

 itself, with valid inferences di-awn from the results of the disturbance 

 of other animals upon their breeding places, as well as those made 

 obvious by the new conditions which have arisen in consequence of the 

 development of pelagic sealing, jooint to the conclusion that the breed- 

 ing islands should, if possible, remain undisturbed and inviolate. 



107. If this view should be admitted, and i)articularly if the United 

 States and Ixussia, as the owners of the principal breeding islands of 

 the North Pacific, should agree to co-operate in entirely proliibiting all 

 killing of seals on these islands, and in guarding and protecting the 

 breeding places upon them, it should be i)ossible to obtain, in considera- 

 tion of such care exercised in the common interest, an international 

 assent to measures regulating sea sealing, of any required degree of 

 stringency, includingcertain si)ecial rights of supervision by the Powers 

 mentioned. 



108. It might, for example, under such circumstances, be provided — 

 (1.) That all sealing- vessels should be registered, and should take out 



special licences at one or other of certain specified ports, as, for instance, 

 Victoria, Port Townsend, Honolulu, Hakodate, and Vladivostock. 



(w.) That such annual clearances or licences be not issued before a 

 given date, say, 1st May, and that certain licence fees be exacted. Such 

 licence fees to be collected by the Customs authorities of the licensing 

 Government, and to be eventually transferred, in whole or in part, pro- 

 portionately, to the Governments protecting the breeding islands, to go 

 toward meeting the cost of this protection. 



(3.) That no vessel should seal in Behring Sea before some fixed date 

 (say, 1st July) in each year,.and that vessels intending to seal in Beh- 

 ring Sea should report either to the United States or to the Eussiau 

 authorities on or after that date at named ports, such as Unalaska or 

 Petropaulouski. 



(4.) That all duly licensed sealing-vessels should be required to fly a 

 distinctive flag, and that any unlicensed vessel found engaged in seal- 

 ing should be subject to certain penalties. 



(5.) That a zone of protected waters should he established about the 

 breeding islands, within w'hich no sealing should under any circum- 

 stances be permitted. 

 B S, FT VI 4, 



