FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 215 



NUMBER OF SEALS. 



Witnesses under oath before the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, 

 Fiftieth Congress, second session, Beport No. 3883. 



1885-1887. 



T. F. Ryan (p.4ll). Q. Will you state about the location of these islands and the 

 condition of the seal rookeries while you were there? — A. St. George Island is in 

 liering Sea, 180 miles to the northwest of ITnalaska, one of the Aleutian chain of 

 islands. It is an island about miles wide and 10 miles long, to which 175,000 to 

 200,000 seals annually — male, female, and -pwp — resort. 



1885-1888. 



G. R. Tingle (p. 162 et seq.). Q. What is your observation as to the number of 

 seals resorting to the islands annually ; are they diminishing or increasing? — A. Upon 

 that subject, if it is in order, I would like to answ^er the question by reading from 

 my report to the Treasury. May I inquire if it is in Mr. Elliott's evidence that he 

 made his statements as to the seal life upon the islands from personal observation? 



The Chairman. Yes; and estimates. 



The Witness. Was it shown that Mr. Elliott had not been on the fur-seal islands 

 for fourteen years f 



The Chairman. His evidence was that he was last there in 187G, twelve years ago. 



The Witness. He made a statement that there was no greater number of seals 

 upon the islands now than at the time he measured the rookeries. Since I have been 

 OH the islands I have oj)served very closely the breeding rookeries. I have visited 

 them daily, remaining around and observing them for hours at a time. I gave them 

 very close attention. The reason I did so was that I desired to be able to place the 

 Department in possession of the very best information I could in regard to this seal 

 property, whether it was increasing or diminishing. I found on the islands this 

 book of Mr. Elliott's, giving his measurements of the seal rookeries, and I conceived 

 the idea of making some measurements myself on the Elliott basis, to tind out if the 

 seals were increasing. Mr. Elliott's measurements of the fur-seal islands showed an 

 area of 6,021,900 square feet, and he says that upon that basis there are 3,010,950 

 seals. Taking Mr. Elliott's basis, I made measurements fourteen years after his, 

 and they showed an increase of 8,234 feet in sea margins of the rookeries, and an 

 increase of 4,275,100 feet of superficial area occupied by breeding seals, showing 

 upon St. Paul Ishand, at the time I made my measurement, 5,148,500 seals, or an 

 increase of 2,137,500. The number of seals at present shown to be*ou the breeding 

 rookeries of the two islands is as follows : 



St. Paul Island 5,148,500 



St. George Island 1,209,250 



Total 6,357,750 



1883. 



W. B. Taylor (p. 59) : Q. Is it your opinion that a larger number of seals may be 

 taken annually without detriment to the rookeries? — A. No, sir; I would not recom- 

 mend that. The time may come, but I think that one year with another they are 

 taking all they ought to take, for this reason: I believe that the capacity of the 

 bull seal is limited, the same as any other animal, and I have very frciinently counted 

 from 30 to 35, and even at one time 42 cows with one bull. I think if there were 

 more bulls there would be less cows to one bull, and in that way the increase would 

 be greater than now. While the num1)er of seals in the aggregate is not apparently 

 diminished, and in fact there is undoubtedly an increase, yet if you take any greater 

 number of seals than is taken now this ratio of cows to one bull would be greater, 

 and for that reason there would be a less number of young seals, undoubtedly. I 

 look upon the breeding of the seal as something like the breeding of any other ani- 

 mal, and that the same care and restriction and judgment should be exercised in 

 this breeding. 



1876-1880. 



George Wardman (p. 39) : Q. What is your impression of the number of seals 

 that visit these rookeries annually? — A. I never could make it so much as Professor 

 Elliott has done. I made manv estimates. I have been to all the rookeries on these 



