﻿36 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  By 
  order 
  of 
  the 
  Secretary, 
  dated 
  March 
  21, 
  the 
  natives 
  of 
  the 
  

   Afognak 
  reservation 
  were 
  given 
  permission 
  to 
  conduct 
  commercial 
  

   fishing 
  in 
  the 
  reserved 
  waters 
  under 
  certain 
  restrictions. 
  The 
  busi- 
  

   ness 
  was 
  placed 
  ia 
  charge 
  of 
  an 
  inspector, 
  who 
  issued 
  permits 
  to 
  those 
  

   entitled 
  to 
  receive 
  them, 
  promulgated 
  regulations 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  

   general 
  orders 
  from 
  the 
  Department, 
  kept 
  in 
  daily 
  touch 
  with 
  the 
  

   fishery, 
  and 
  enforced 
  compliance 
  with 
  the 
  regulations. 
  The 
  total 
  

   number 
  of 
  licenses 
  issued 
  was 
  93, 
  of 
  which 
  7 
  were 
  to 
  white 
  men. 
  The 
  

   salmon 
  taken 
  numbered 
  about 
  175,000 
  fish, 
  including 
  about 
  17,000 
  

   handled 
  at 
  the 
  hatchery. 
  This 
  catch 
  was 
  somewhat 
  disappointmg. 
  

   The 
  eruption 
  of 
  Katmai 
  Volcano 
  June 
  6 
  covered 
  Afognak 
  Island 
  so 
  

   completely 
  with 
  ashes 
  that 
  fishing 
  was 
  entirely 
  suspended 
  for 
  more 
  

   than 
  two 
  weeks 
  and 
  was 
  nowhere 
  fully 
  resumed. 
  This 
  no 
  doubt 
  had 
  

   a 
  serious 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  catch, 
  which 
  otherwise 
  would 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  

   have 
  been 
  much 
  greater. 
  Besides 
  the 
  immediate 
  effects 
  on 
  the 
  

   fishery 
  there 
  will 
  no 
  doubt 
  be 
  after 
  effects 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  fishery 
  wlU 
  

   not 
  recover 
  for 
  some 
  years. 
  

  

  FUR-SEAL 
  SERVICE. 
  

  

  The 
  sealing 
  operations 
  on 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  

   1912 
  were 
  conducted, 
  as 
  in 
  1910 
  and 
  1911, 
  under 
  the 
  direct 
  control 
  of 
  

   the 
  fur-seal 
  agents 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau. 
  The 
  treaty 
  of 
  July 
  7, 
  1911, 
  which 
  

   makes 
  pelagic 
  sealing 
  unlawful, 
  went 
  into 
  effect 
  December 
  15, 
  1911, 
  

   and, 
  as 
  a 
  result, 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  pelagic 
  sealing 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  

   1912. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  season, 
  therefore, 
  since 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  

   pelagic 
  sealing 
  that 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  herd 
  was 
  not 
  subject 
  to 
  the 
  ravages 
  

   of 
  the 
  sealing 
  fleet. 
  To 
  this 
  essential 
  protective 
  measure 
  the 
  herd 
  

   made 
  an 
  immediate 
  response. 
  It 
  was 
  possible 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  

   history 
  of 
  the 
  fur 
  seal 
  to 
  take 
  an 
  actual 
  census 
  of 
  the 
  herd. 
  An 
  actual 
  

   count 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  active 
  bulls, 
  all 
  the 
  idle 
  and 
  young 
  bulls, 
  all 
  

   the 
  hauling-ground 
  buUs, 
  aU 
  the 
  3-year-old 
  males 
  marked 
  and 
  

   reserved 
  for 
  breeders, 
  aU 
  the 
  pups, 
  and, 
  by 
  evident 
  deduction, 
  all 
  the 
  

   cows. 
  The 
  only 
  classes 
  not 
  actually 
  counted 
  were 
  the 
  yearling 
  males 
  

   and 
  females, 
  the 
  2-year-old 
  males 
  and 
  females, 
  the 
  unbranded 
  3-year- 
  

   old 
  males, 
  and 
  an 
  uncertain 
  number 
  of 
  4-year-old 
  males, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  

   were 
  estimated 
  conservatively 
  at 
  48,000. 
  

  

  The 
  census 
  of 
  the 
  herd 
  showed 
  seals 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  classes 
  present 
  

   on 
  the 
  islands 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Active 
  bulls, 
  witli 
  harems 
  (actual 
  count) 
  1, 
  358 
  

  

  Idle 
  and 
  young 
  breeding-ground 
  bulls 
  (actual 
  count) 
  312 
  

  

  Hauling-ground 
  bulls 
  (actual 
  count) 
  302 
  

  

  Branded 
  reserve 
  bulls 
  (actual 
  count) 
  2, 
  000 
  

  

  Pups 
  (actual 
  count) 
  81, 
  984 
  

  

  Breeding 
  cows 
  (equal 
  to 
  the 
  pups 
  in 
  number) 
  81, 
  984 
  

  

  Remaining 
  nonbreeding 
  seals 
  (estimate) 
  48, 
  000 
  

  

  Total 
  215, 
  940 
  

  

  