'264 The sealskin industry 



Absolute proiii- After a cai'eful consideration of tlie fom* 



I)ition of pel;i,<>ic 



sealing necessary, metliods of limited protection proposed above, it 

 is evident that none of these can preserve the 

 Alaskan seal herd from certain destruction in the 

 near future, no matter how stringently they may 

 be enforced. The result, therefore, of this con- 

 sideration is, that, if it is deemed necessary or 

 expedient from a practical and commercial point 

 of view to preserve the seal herds of the North 

 Pacific and Bering Sea, pelagic sealing in every 

 form and in all waters must be absolutely pro- 

 hibited at all times. 



THE SEAL-SKIN INDUSTRY. 

 IN THE PAST. 



The commercial value of the Alaskan seal 

 herd, which needs the protection already shown 

 in order to preserve it from practical extinction, 

 is evident on an examination of the seal-skin 

 industry as it formerly existed and as it is at 

 the present time. 

 Som-ccs of sup- Formerly — that is, prior to the American oc- 



ply. 



cupation of Alaska and Bering Sea, the great 

 sources of supply for fur-seal skins were in both 

 the southern and northern hemispheres. Among 

 those located in the antarctic regions, and from 



