SI:.\L Lin-: ON THK INMIJILOF ISLANDS 



a^ I iniulii obtain \\ hcther <r not. in inv opinion, the seals were dimin- 

 ish in- >n i In- I'ribilof Islands: and if so. 1 lie causes 1 he re tor. As a result 

 of such i n vest i-.ii ji ]i. I roiiiid. t'; oin the statements made to me by the 

 n at i \v>. ( io\ ern men t audits, and employers of I lie lessees, some of whom 

 had been on the island-- for many years, that a decre ise in the number 

 of seals had been u'radnally .uoin- mi since iss.~i. and that in the last 

 tliree years the decrease had been very rapid. A careful and frequent 

 examination <>i ihe hanlinu' grounds and breeding rookeries bv mvself 

 and assistant audits during tlie months oi' .Inn' 1 . Julv. and August 

 showed that the seals had greatly diminished in number. \\'e found 

 lar.uv vacant spaces on all the rookeries, which in Ibrmer years during' 

 these moiith> had been co\ ered by thousands ot' seals. 1'rior to 1SSS 

 the lessees had been able to take lOO.IMO skin- Irom male seals, but 1 

 am elearly of tiie opinion that not more than one third of that number 

 ot' merchantable skins can be taken during l!ie vear ls!'l. (\V. II. 

 Williams.; 



I)Kt KKASL (F SEALS. 



In studying the causes ot' diminution of seal life, there weie found a 

 variet y ot' actual and possible sources of destrnd ion which ai e e! feet ive 

 in varying decrees. Fortunately, t he most important of the-e sources 

 were directly under my observation, and the following facts presented 

 tliemsel ves for consi. iera i ion : The restrict ions u pon t lie molest at ion of 

 the breeding ground- ai:d upon the killing of females has been impera- 

 ti\'e 1 ot h on the pai t of the ( lover n i;en t and lessees since t he A men can 

 ownership ot' fiie islands, so that in the lakin.u of seals no injury could 

 possibly ha ve occurred to the females and bulls found iheicoii. For 

 some yea ;-s past the naf i ves were permitted to k ill in t he la II a few thou- 

 sand male puns for food. Sir-ii killing has been prohibited. It is not 

 appa rcii i how the ki lliim' of male pups could ha ve decreased t he number 

 of leiua'es on the breeding grounds ,-). Stanley IJiown.) 



i! ill*- seal-- were as numerous to day on the I'ribilof Islands and the 

 mair.ici of driving and killing conducted in i lie same manner as during 

 m v e \ perience t here. 1 00. o '0 male sea is of from '.' to I \ ear- of a ,ue could 

 be t-ti.en tVom the naiiliiiL 1 , grounds an nually for an indefinite period 

 withoiii dim in n i i-m ol the seal he; d. (Charles I Iryaut . 



I lecaiise of ! he man ner of killing seals on t he is! a nd.-.. the preca lit ions 

 taken to kill onl\ males IVom i: to o years, and the careful limitation of 

 the numbers taken, i am fully convinced that the taking ol seals on the 

 1'iibiiof Islands could never affect ihe number- of ihe seal herd or 

 depict,- (he rookeries. S. N. liuynitsky. 



1 \\a> in Ihe employ ot' the Alaska ('ommercial ('ompanv. the former 

 lessees of the sea I island--, and their instructions \\ ere t o use Ihe lit most 

 care in taking t heir .putt a of seals, so 1 hat t here m ,uht be no d in li nut ion 

 in number Irom vear t" vear, and I personally know those instructions 

 were rii: id i \ enforced. ( Leander ( 'o\. 



If no ot her a^enc\' is at \\nrk in destroy in .y seal 1 i !-. 1 00.000 bachelor 



seal- can be taken from the Fribilol Islands \early for an indelinite 

 period . pro \ n led the rook eric. > \\cre in the sa me coiid i t ion t he\ \\ ere ill 

 1*71. <>! this I am convinced from the fact that the seals continued 

 to increase during all the lime ! was upon the islands, when 100.000 

 were killed ever\ \ear except one. \\hen Ho. 000 were taken. (Samuel 

 Falconer. , 



