204 REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 



828. 1880-87. George H. Tiii,i;le, usiii,u- Elliott's nietliod of estimating 

 the seals, makes the number on the Pribyloff Islands (J, 357, 750. He 

 states, however, that he considers this result too great by about one- 

 fourth, which reduces his estimate to about 4,768,300. (Fur-seal Fish- 

 eries of Alaska, p. 177.) 



[From information obtained on the islands, it appears that the reduc- 

 tion in average weight of skins taken was well recognized in these two 

 years.] 



829. 1887. [Mr. T. F. Morgan told us that he noticed a marked 

 decrease in this year. In this or the preceding year, according to Mr. 

 J. C. Redpath, the standard weight of skins was lowered to enable the 

 Company to com])lete its quota.] 



830. 188S. Dr. 11. H. Mclntyre, Superintendent for Alaska Commer- 

 cial Company at the time on the islands, states that the number of seals 

 has decreased since 1882; that the rookeries do not ])roduce enough to 

 bear the killing of " 100,000 by marauders in addition to the 100,000 

 killed lawfully." He recommends that the permission accorded to 

 natives of killing seal pups for food should be rescinded, and, speak- 

 ing particularly of 1888, says : " There are at present, in my opinion, too 

 few bull seals to keep the rookeries up to their best condition." 



He adds, further, that the size of skins ruled still smaller than in 

 1883. (Fur-seal Fisheries of Alaska, pp. IIG, 117, 127, 132.) 



In the same year T. F. Morgan, in the employment of the Alaska 

 Commercial Company, says that there had been a large increase in the 

 number of seals on the islands since 1808, and also since 1874. The 

 breeding rookeries occupied more territory. 



S. M, Biiynitsky, Special Treasury Agent on Pribyloff Islands in 1870, 

 states that there may be 3,000,000 or 7,000,000 seals on the islands; no 

 estimate can be made within 1,000,000 or so of the actual number. 



George Wardman, Treasury Agent on Pribyloff Islands from 1881 to 

 1885, estimates that the seals on St. George numbered 105,000 at most. 

 He thinks that the number of seals has been over-estimated. (Fur-seal 

 Fisheries of Alaska, pp. 12, 39, 69.) 



[In this year, according to Mr. D. Webster, the jstandard weight of 

 skins was lowered from lbs. to 5 lbs. and to 4J lbs., because of scar- 

 city of 6-lb. skins. Thus, all males from 2 to 5 years old became, and 

 thereafter continued to be, accounted killable.] 



831. 1889. Last year of lease of Alaska Commercial Company. 



[To complete the catch in this year, we ascertain that some 40,000 

 very small skins were taken, including even yearlings.] 



832. 1890. First year of control of North American Commercial Com- 

 pany, under new lease. 



Colonel J. Murray, First Assistant Government Agent, reports that 

 the seals on the Pribyloff Islands have been steadily decreasing since 

 1880, and attributes this to the excessive slaughter of males 2 to 5 

 years old. 



Mr. Goff states that no 2-year-old seals brought to the killing grounds 

 were turned away in this year. (Senate, Ex. Doc. 49, 51st Congress, 

 2nd Session.) 



Elliott estimates the number of seals on the islands in this year at 

 959,393. He attributes the decrease in number of seals to : 



1. Over-driving on the islands, begun in 1879, dropped till 1882, and 

 then suddenly renewed and continued to date. 

 140 2. To pelagic sealing, which, according to him, was begun as 



a business in 1886, and carried on to date. (Parliamentary Paper 

 London, June 1891, p. 53.) 



