36 SEAL LIFE ON THE PKIBILOF ISLANDS. 



taking of seals on the islands could be abated and the herd permitted 

 to rest and recuperate. I most earnestly urge that this course be taken 

 without unnecessary delay. 



The social and business relations existing between the agents of the 

 company and the Government at the islands the past year have been 

 most pleasant. 



Respectfully, yours. Jos. 15. CROWLKY. 



Special Treasury Agent in Charge of the Fur Seal TxlantlK. Ahmka. 

 Hon. JOHN G. CARLISLE, 



Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, I). C. 



OFFICE OF SPECIAL AGKNT, TREASTRY DEPARTMENT, 



St. George Inland, Alaska, October 10, 1895. 



MY DEAR SIR: On October 2 and 8 I made a careful count of the dead fur-seal 

 pups on the several rookeries on St. George Island and found the following number: 



Zapadnie rookery 2, 083 



North rookery 1, 559 



Starry Arteef rookery ., 1, 131 



East rookery 986 



Little East rookery 253 



Total 6, 012 



The count was made systematically and its correctness can be absolutely depended 

 upon. The number represents only the actual dead bodies and indisputable remains 

 of others that foxes and the elements had more or less destroyed. All trace of those 

 that died during the fore part of August had been washed away. On all the rook- 

 eries were seen a great many seal pups that were very emaciated, and it was only a 

 question of a few days before they too would die of starvation. Some were so thin 

 and weak that they did not have the strength to move, while along the outskirts of 

 the herd as we drove the seals slowly to one side of the rookeries were hundreds 

 of weaklings that could scarcely keep up with the balance of the herd. A great 

 proportion, if not all of them, will die. In no case was it necessary to drive the seals 

 over 200 yards to enable a count to be made. For three weeks previous to making 

 the count I made frequent visits to and examinations of , the rookeries, and on all 

 could see the carcasses of seal pups on all parts, and numerous among the live seals 

 would be seen the emaciated forms of others slowly dying from starvation. Of 

 course it was impossible to make a count of the weaklings, but my judgment would 

 say that on the five rookeries on St. George Island not less than 800 will die for want 

 of sustenance between the 10th and 31st of October. 



There is but one reason for this deplorable and even criminal destruction of young 

 seal life, and that is the killing in Bering Sea of the females that gave them birth 

 and on whom they are dependent for sustenance until they are old enough to main- 

 tain themselves, which is in three or a little over three months; and just so long as 

 sealing in Bering Sea is permitted under the present regulations, just so long will 

 this destructive waste of fur-seal life continue. Sealing vessels commence the work 

 of exterminating the seal herd in Bering Sea on August 1, and in two weeks after 

 you can see the rookeries dotted all over with dead pups, and the number keeps 

 increasing day by day until a great proportion of the number born die from starva- 

 tion, their mothers having been killed at sea, where they had gone for food, by the 

 sealers. It is an established fact that the male seal, with but few exceptions, goes 

 but a short distance for food during the season the seals are on the island, while the 

 female travels far outside the limit for food and rest, and is then killed in great 

 numbers by the sealers. Something could be gained by the extension of the 60-mile 

 limit to 110 or 125 miles, but a more desirable and practical measure of protection to 

 the young and female seal life would be the addition of the months of August and 

 September to the closed season in Bering Sea. The last suggestion would prolong 

 the fur-seal life a few years, but nothing of a temporary or restrictive nature will be 

 of an established benefit to the continuation and rehabilitation of the seal herd but 

 the absolute prohibition of killing fur seal in open water. The two years of sealing 

 in Bering Sea has been terribly destructive of seal life, and if it is continued two or 

 three years longer the fur-seal herd on the Pribilof Islands will be practically exter- 

 minated. 



Respectfully, yours, JACOB E. ZIRBACH, 



Treasury Agent in Charge of St. George Island. 



Hon. JOSEPH B. CROWLKY, 



Special Treasury Agent for the Seal Fisheries of Alaska, Robinson, III. 



