TAKEN AT OR NEAR SITKA. 259 



Deposition of John Dohrn, sealer {boat puller). 



PELAGIC SEALING. 



Sitka, Alaska, May 18, 1893. 

 John Dohrii, being duly sworn, deposes and says : That he is a native 

 of Germany, and has been engaged in seal hunting Experience 

 during the present season on the schooner Laborador, of ^i^«'"''°ce. 

 Vancouver, British Columbia, in the capacity of boat- 

 pullei-; that to the best of his knowledge and belief Eisiity per cent 

 about eight of every ten seals killed in pelagic sealing ^^^'^'^^ *'^'"-'^i"^''- 

 are females, and that twice as many seals are lost as waste of iiie. 

 are captured. 



John Dohrn. 



Sworn and subscribed before me this 18tli day of May, 1892. 



[SEAL.] OhAS. H. ISHAM, 



Deputy Clerk, United iStates District Court of Alaska. 



Deposition of James Gondoicen, native sealer. 



PELAGIC SEALING. 



James Gondowen, being duly sworn, deposes and says: Am 30 years 

 old ; born at Killisnoo and reside at Sitka. Am by occupation a hunter, 

 hunting seal every summer and deer every winter since . 



I was a small boy. Hunted one season on schooner ' -^pentnce. 

 Sitka. Have hunted seal between Sitka and Gross sounds. They first 

 appear about middle of this month and disai)pear about 

 the last of June. Have always used shotgun and '^'^'' '°°' 

 ritie for taking seal. About oO per cent are lost when killed with a shot- 

 gun and a larger iier cent when rifle is used. Most of 

 the seals killed are cows with pup. A few males are mS kSied!^"^°* ^^' 

 killed averaging from 1 to 4 years old. Have killed but 

 one old bull in my life. A few yearlings are taken, the majority of which 

 are females. Can not distinguish sex of seal in the water. Hunters 

 use no discriminaticm, and killed everything that comes near the boat. 

 When seal are shot in the head and instantly killed tliey will sink at 

 once and are hard to secure under those conditions. ^ 

 Have noticed that seals are decreasing the last four 

 years, cause, I think, by too many white men hunt- p_^^ ,^ 



iiig seal in the waters of the Pacific Ocean aud Bering wateroronhuid'uwma 

 Sea. Havenever known any pups to be born in the wa- ^i'*'*'^'*- 

 teror on the land around the coast of Alaska. Xever no not imni up ex- 

 known any fur-seal to haul up on the land or on the ws"" ^'"^'^"*' ^'^ 

 coast elsewhere than on the Pribilof Islands. 



Think if all pelagic .sealing was stop[)ed in Bering 

 Sea and the N^orth Pacific Ocean seal would again '" "'^ '°"' 

 become plentiful. 



his 



James x Gondowen, 



mark 



Witness to his mark. 



George Kastrometinoff, 



United States Court Interpreter. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 11th day of April, 1892. 



A. W. Lavender, 

 United States Treasury Ayciit. 



