SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 7 



When it is remembered that the evidence shows that about three- 

 quarters of the seals killed at sea are females, it is easy to understand 

 the inevitable falling off in the herd. 



Our agents report a decrease in the seal herd of at least one-half since 

 1890, and it is apparent that commercial extermination is near at hand 

 unless changes in the regulations of the Paris award are speedily 

 agreed to. 



It will be remembered that from June, 1891, to and through the season 

 of 1893, under the modus vivendi agreed upon by the United States 

 and Great Britain, all sealing in Bering Sea was prohibited pending 

 the Paris award. 



Undoubtedly this gave the seal herd great relief in securing for it 

 immunity while on its breeding grounds and in the sea procuring food 

 for the young pups. The subsequent regulations established by the 

 Paris award also helped the herd by closing the North Pacific Ocean 

 and Bering Sea during May, June, and July. This is seen at once in 

 the North Pacific catch, exclusive of Bering Sea, which fell off from 

 46,<i42 in 1892, to 24.101 in 1-S94 (the falling off in 1893 to 28,613 is 

 attributed to the fact that the vessels largely went over to the Asiatic 

 shores). This good effect in the North Pacific is corroborated by the 

 report of Mr. 0. H. Townsend, of the United States Fish Commission, 

 now OD the Treasury files. 



The regulations of the award, however, failed signally when applied 

 to Bering Sea. Although the herd was protected in the North Pacific 

 in May and June (while on the way to its breeding grounds), and in 

 Bering Sea in July, yet it is safe to say the greater part of the ad- 

 vantages derived from the regulations was lost by permitting the sealers 

 to kill outside of the 60-mile zone in August in Bering Sea. The old 

 modus vivendi setting apart Bering Sea as a breeding ground was 

 thereby done away with and the sea was opened to pelagic slaughter. 



The fatal results were quickly to be seen. In the past season only 37 

 of the 95 vessels employed in sealing entered Bering Sea, yet in five 

 weeks they killed 31,585 seals, 7,000 more than were killed by 95 ves- 

 sels in four months on the American side of the North Pacific Ocean, 

 exclusive of Bering Sea. 



As a result of this slaughter, largely consisting of females, in Bering 

 Sea, our agents this last fall counted 12,000 dead pups on the accessible 

 portions of the rookeries. A careful estimate based on this count reaches 

 20,000 as a total of pups dying of starvation on the islands, their 

 mothers being killed at sea. 



Such slaughter can only result in the rapid extermination of the fur 

 seal. Every effort should be made to secure modifications of the Paris 

 award regulations. If such modifications be not agreed to, the fur seal 

 within one or two seasons will be commercially exterminated. 



It will be realized how valuable a source of revenue the Alaskan seal 

 herd has been to the United States when the following table is con- 

 sidered, from which it appears that the total receipts from the Territory, 

 of which all but an infinitesimal portion were derived from our sealing 

 interests on the Pribilof Islands, since 1870, amounted to $6,373,463.08, 

 while the total expenditures of the whole Territory of Alaska for the 

 same period amounted to only $1,126,624.50. 



To prevent speedy extermination, a new modus viveudi should be 

 agreed upon pending a careful study of the habits, feeding grounds, 

 and present condition of the fur-seal herd by a commission of scientists, 

 who should recommend such suitable regulations for pelagic sealing as 

 will ward off the otherwise inevitable extermination. Inasmuch as there 



