REPORT OF AMERICAN COMMISSIONERS. 371 



or sliotgun. Guns, liowever, are uow generally Percentage of 



seals lost. 



employed by the hunters Many persons who 

 have had opportunities for acquiring information 

 on this question by conference with pelagic 

 sealers, Indian and white, or from other sources, 

 have declared that the loss is very much greater, 

 putting the number of seals lost to those recov- 

 ered as five to one or ten to one, or even higher. 

 In the absence of more certain knowledge, it 

 is our judgment, based on the best information 

 available, that such estimates are exaorg-erated, 

 but there can be no doubt that the loss from this 

 source is real and serious, and that it must be 

 taken into account in any estimate of the effects 

 of pelagic sealing. 



Pelagic sealing as an industry is of recent laS^s^aHu*'.! ^^ 

 origin, and may be said to date from 1879. In 

 1880, according to the official report of the Cana- 

 dian Minister of Marine and Fisheries, 7 vessels 

 and 213 men were engaged in pelagic sealing in 

 the North Pacific, securing 13,600 skins, valued 

 at $163,200. The same authority states that 

 in 1886, 20 vessels and 459 men secured 38,907 

 skins, valued at $389,070. In 1891 the number 

 of United States and Canadian vessels had in- 

 creased to over 100; upwards of 2,000 men were 

 engaged, and more than 62,000 skins were se- 

 cui'ed. 



