64 ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



(2) Recurrent periods of rest. 



165. This implies the provision of a period of rest or exemption of all seals from 

 killing, both at sea and on shore, to extend over a complete year at such recurrent 

 intervals as may be deemed necessary. 



Such a period of rest might be fixed in advance for every fifth, or possibly as often 

 as every fourth year, and be made to form a part of a general scheme imposing 

 limitation of number of seals killed on the islands in intervening years, together 

 with restriction by time or by area of pelagic sealing. 



While proximately equal in effect on both shore and sea killing a period of rest of 

 this kind would, in other respects, cause some^nconvenience, by its interruption of 

 the several industries, and this, though minimized by the fact that the date of occur- 

 rence of the year of rest would be known in advance, would not be wholly obviated 

 by this circumstance. 



(3) Total prohibition of killing on the breeding islands, ivith concurrent strict regulation 



of pelagic sealing. 



166. While the circumstance that long usage may in a measure be considered as 

 justifying the custom of killing fur seals on the breeding islands, many facts now 

 known respecting the life history of the animal itself, with valid inferences drawn 

 from the results of the disturbance of other animals upon their breeding places, as 

 well as those made obvious by the new conditions which have arisen in consequence 

 of the development of pelagic sealing, point to the conclusion that the breeding 

 islands should, if possible, remain undisturbed and inviolate. 



167. If this view should be admitted, and particularly if the United States and 

 Russia, as the owners of the principal breeding islands of the North Paciiic, should 

 agree to cooperate in entirely prohibiting all killing of seals on these islands, and 

 in guarding and protecting the breeding places upon them, it should be possible to 

 obtain, in consideration of such care exercised in the common interest, an inter- 

 national assent to measures regulating sa sealing of any required degree of strin- 

 gency, including certain special rights of supervision by the powers mentioned. 



168. It might, for example, under such circumstances, be provided 



(1) That all sealing vessels should be registered, and should take out special 

 licenses at one or other of certain specified ports, as, for instance, Victoria, Port 

 Townsend, Honolulu, Hakodate, and Vladivostock. 



(2) That such annual clearances or licenses be not issued before a given date (say 

 1st of May), and that certain license fees be exacted. Such license fees to be col- 

 lected by the customs authorities of the licensing Government, and to be eventually 

 transferred, in whole or in part, proportionately, to the Governments protecting the 

 breeding islands, to go toward meeting the cost of this protection. 



(3) That no vessel should seal in Bering Sea before some fixed date (say 1st of 

 July) in each year, and that vessels intending to seal in Bering Sea should report 

 either to the United States or to the Russian authorities on or after that date at 

 named ports, such as Unalaska or Petropavlovsk. 



(4) That all duly licensed sealing vessels should be required to fly a distinctive 

 flag, and that any unlicensed vessel found engaged in sealing should be subject to 

 certain penalties. 



(5) That a zone of protected waters should be established about the breeding 

 islands, within which no sealing should under any circumstances be permitted. 



(E) INTERNATIONAL ACTION. 



169. In the foregoing remarks on the measures available for the protection and 

 preservation of the fur seal of the North Pacific, reference is made throughout espe- 

 cially to the eastern part of that ocean, including more particularly the area com- 

 prised in the range of those fur seals of which the summer haunts and breeding places 

 are about or on the Pribilof Islands, and of which the winter home is found espe- 

 cially off the coast of British Columbia. It is evident, however, that the same 

 remarks and recommendations apply equally to those fur seals which in summer 

 center about the Commander Islands and in winter frequent the seas off the coast of 

 Japan. 



170. It may be stated, further, that no system of control can be considered as 

 absolutely complete and effective which does not include under common regulations 

 all parts of the North Pacific, and that the facility of execution of measures and 

 their efficiency would, under any system of regulations, be much increased by the 

 concurrent action of Great Britain, the United States, Russia, and Japan, as indicated 

 in the message of the President of the United States in 1889. Apart from the fact 

 that vessels prevented from sealing at given dates in certain areas might at these 

 times frequent other waters in increased numbers, the circumstance that there is ;, 



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