FUR-SEAL HERD OF ALASKA. 15 



Number of fur seals — males, females, and young. 



1872-1874. The surveys of Elliott and Maynard; act approved Apr. 22, 1874. 4, 500, 000 



1890. The survey of Elliott; act approved Apr. 5, 1890 1, 059, 000 



1891. The Canadian-American Joint Commission survey, "about " 1, 000, 000 



1896. The Jordan-Thompson Joint Commission survey (p. 22 of Jordan's 



preliminary report, Treasury Department Doc. No. 1913) 440, 000 



1897. The Jordan -Thompson Joint Commission survey declares that "the 



rookeries on which the pups were counted show a reduction of 14.4 



per cent" (i. e., 14.4 per cent fewer seals than in 1896) 376, 640 



1898. Report Secretary of the Treasury, page xxxiv, Dec. 6, 1898: "The 



conditions of the rookeries show a most apparent decrease in the 

 numbers of seals frequenting the islands." No estimate of per- 

 centage of loss is made, but it can not be "most apparent" unless 

 that loss of life is at least 12 per cent of the figures agreed upon in 

 1897, or 331, 000 



1899. Report Secretary of the Treasury, page xxxi, Dec. 5, 1899: "The 



condition on the rookeries shows a continued decline in the herd." 

 ("The agent in charge reports a decline of 20 per cent" from the 

 figures of 1898. — Report Secretary of the Treasury, p. xxxii, Dec. 4, 

 1900). This gives us 264, 962 



1900. Report Secretary of the Treasury, page xxxii, Dec. 4, 1900: "The 



agent in charge reports that the seal life on the islands in 1899 was 

 20 per cent less than in 1898 . " " The rookeries were examined dur- 

 ing the past season by an agent of the Fish Commission." "He 

 reports a decrease in the seal life on the rookeries as compared with 

 former years." -"Smaller seals were taken this year than ever 

 before." Report United States Fish Commission, 1900, page 165: 

 "The seals have been diminishing upon the breeding grounds for 

 many years, the annual decrease during the past few years amount- 

 ing to about 20 per cent." This testimony reduces the herd in 

 1900 to 238, 962 



1901. Report Secretary of the Treasury, page 38, Dec. 2, 1901: "The 



enumeration of live pups shows a marked falling off from the 

 previous years. " A "marked falling off" in the number of pups 

 would not be noticed as such unless the percentage of loss was at 

 least 12 per cent, or 204, 887 



1902. Report Secretary of the Treasury, page 30, Dec. 3, 1902: No mention 



or hint of any decrease in the herd in this report ; but a set of errone- 

 ous figures is given for the pelagic catch of the year; only one- 

 third of this catch is announced. Upon this false return of that 

 catch is based an allegation that the pelagic hunter is retiring from 

 business, and this retirement puts the "herd in a more stable con- 

 dition," and that "it is not decreasing now as rapidly as here- 

 tofore." Also no reference whatever is made of the new "Japa- 

 nese " sealing fleet which joined the Canadian fleet this season and 

 has been busy all around the islands inside of the "60-mile zone " ; 

 no reference is made of this new power for destruction, although 

 the department on Sept. 25, 1902, received an official report 

 declaring that 16 of these vessels were thus engaged. Therefore, 

 since the same forces of destruction which have been at work on 

 the herd since 1896 have again been all actively employed with 

 the addition of the "16 Japanese" vessels, it is only reasonable to 

 declare a reduction of at least 12 per cent from the number allowed 

 for 1901, and this gives us at the close of the season of 1902 not to 



exceed 180, 000 



Also, in this report of the Treasury Department for 1902 is 

 omitted the statement of the special agent in charge of the islands 

 in his report for this year, that "a careful count of harems made 

 this year shows a falling off of 25 per cent of breeding bulls." The 

 reason why this important fact is omitted is evident to any intelli- 

 gent reader; it would utterly deny the Secretary's assertion that 

 'the herd is in a more stable condition " ; it is therefore suppressed. 



1903. The Government agent declares that at the close of the season of 1903 



the number of seals alive does not exceed 150, 000 



The season he refers to closes Aug. 1, 1903. 



