148 



THE FUR SEALS OF THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



181)1, took a small catch of 8,000 seals from the Commander herd. In 1892, when the 

 modus viveudi was renewed and made effective, a larger number of vessels crossed 

 over at the close of the spring sealing off the Northwest Coast; and in 1893, Bering Sea 

 being again closed, the greater part of the sealing was transferred to the Asiatic side. 

 The growth of the catch from the Commander Island herd was very rapid. Beginning 

 with 8,000 skins in 1891, it numbered 66,000 skins in 1893. 



THE DECLINE OF THE CATCH. 



During the period from 1868 to 1880 the pelagic catch was merely nominal, ranging 

 from four to five thousand skins yearly. With the year 1881 it increased steadily 

 until 1894, when the maximum was reached in a catch of 141,143 skins. Since that 

 year it has rapidly declined to a total of about 39,000 skins in the season of 1897. 



The following table will make clear the fact of this decline: 



UNFAVORABLE WEATHER NOT THE CAUSE OF DECLINE. 



The decline in the pelagic catch has been explained by the sealers as due to 

 unfavorable weather 1 and ill luck in locating the animals rather than to any lack of 

 seals. It is unnecessary here to discuss the matter at length. Keference to Mr. 

 Townsend's notes and tables of daily catches, published in Part III of this report, will 

 show clearly enough that no marked difference has existed between the weather 

 conditions of recent seasons and those of earlier ones. The real cause of the decline 

 in the pelagic catch, of course, is the depleted condition of the herd. With a herd 

 reduced to less than one-fifth its original size it could not be reasonably expected 

 that the usual number of animals could be found at sea. 



PELAGIC KILLING AND LAND KILLING COMPARED. 



It will help us to arrive at a just appreciation of the relation of pelagic sealing to 

 the history of the fur-seal herd if we compare its catch with that taken on the islands. 

 In the following table we have this comparison fully set forth. There is given, in 

 addition to the total number of males killed for all purposes, the date at which the 

 quota was each year filled, the number of hauling grounds which it was necessary to 

 drive from, and the number of drives required. These are taken from the records of 

 the islands. The statistics of the pelagic catch are taken from the official data of the 

 Treasury Department, which is given in full in Appendix I. 



1 Ber. Sea Quest., Dept. Marine and Fisheries, Ottawa, 1896, Yenning, p. 16. 



