16 



SEAL LIFE ON THE PRIBILOF ISLANDS. 



Lixt of llie pholographx of the aval roakeriex on the I'ribiUif Islaiuln. rtc, — ( 'ontiune<L 



ST. GKORGK ISLAND. 



f ■, . Date on 

 Rook.ry. Station. ,S'fT whicU 



I view. I *"'^*"'- 



KonktTV. 



Kast 9.. 



A. 



Little E.a8t B. 



North \.. 



2 Jiily24 North 



2 Do. I' 



2 i)o. ! 



1 Do. Starry Arteel. 



.Station. 



2. 

 3. 

 5. 

 E 



Number ! i, . 

 otplat«8il^*/??" 

 in each T'^'''^ 

 view. taken. 



1 July 24 



1 Do. 



2 Do. 



2 July 28 



OBSERVATIONS RELATIVE TO PELAGIC SEALING IN BERING SEA 

 DURING THE SEASON OF 1894. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The report herewith presented includes the results of observations 

 made at sea between August I and September I'O, 1894, together with 

 certain data subse(iuently obtained at Victoria, Port Townsend, Seattle, 

 and San Francisco. The work at sea was carried on in connection with 

 the cruise of the United States Fisli Commission steamer y4/fta/ro.vs, at 

 that time detailed as one of the vessels of the Bering Sea patrol lieet. 

 The cruising ground assigned to the Albatross was to the westward and 

 southward of the islands, chiefly outside of the protected zone, but 

 trijjs were also matle to the northwest and southeast of the islands. 

 During the cruise sealing vessels were boarded whenever met with, and 

 1 accompanied the boarding officer at all times, for the purpose of 

 obtaining information in connection with their operations from day to 

 day. In addition to the data secured by the boarding officer, I copied 

 from the sealer's log books all notes regarding the positions where 

 seals were taken, and examined all fresh skins not yet consigned to the 

 kenches. 



The record of positions where seals were taken by Canadian vessels 

 is incomplete, as most of those vessels continued sealing for some time 

 after being boarded, while others were not met with. Similar data 

 obtained from American vessels at sea were finally secured in full after 

 their arrival at home ports. 



Sealers were constantly <]uestioued concerning sealing matters, and 

 statements made by them will be found in the following pages. 



I have, under a separate heading, called attention to the eflectiveness 

 with which pelagic sealing was carried on in Bering Sea by the 38 ves- 

 sels engaged in it. It will be seen, after ])roper consideration of this 

 point, how very destructive to the life of this industry the presence of 

 a larger fleet would be. In my report for last year I pointed out the 

 loss of young seals that might be looked for upon the islands if a large 

 number of female seals were to be taken in Bering Sea during the 

 breeding season. This has bee i borne out by the experience of the 

 past season, 20,000 being the lowest estimate that can be made for dead 

 pups, and we may confidently e.xpect to see a still greater loss of this 

 kind next season if sealing is continued on the feeding grounds. The 

 results of the season's pelagic catch in Bering Sea were already appar- 

 ent on the rookeries when 1 went over them from September 9 to 13, 

 and will be still more so when the annual examiuation is made next 

 July. The rookeries in their present condition can not lose 50,000 seals 



