2 GO TESTIMONY 



Dcjwsition of W. 1\ (Uriffith, scaler. 



PELAGIC SEALING. 



SiTKA, Alaska, May IS, 1892. 



W.V. GiiniMi, bciii.u' duly swoiii, dciioses and siiys lio is Aiiioricaii 



boiii, ;ui(l lias been ('ii.i;;ii;('(l in scnlini;- duiiiij;' tlio ])i't>scnt scnsitn on 



thescliooiicr />^f^(>r(fY/f>r,()l\'iin(',()Uvcr, British Colin ubia, 



KM>.nouco. .,, (,.,p.n,jty of liiintcr. To tlic best of his knowlcdi^e and 



70 1.1)1- cunt tiikonio- belief about scvcu of cvciy tcn seuls killed in pelagic 



"':'i'«- sealing" are females. That, in pelagii; sealing twice as 



ayuhU) (.1 liiv. many seals are lost as are captured. 



W. P. Grifftii. 



Sworn and subscribed before me this 18th day of May, 181)2. 

 [SEAL.] ClIAS. H. ISHAM, 



Deputy Clerk, United States JJist. Court of Alaslca. 



Deposition of E. Hofstad, sealer and mate of schooner Clara. 



TELAGIC SEALING. 



Vi. llofstad, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I reside at Sitka 

 My present occupation is that of a seal hunter. Am 

 KxiKMicnie. ^^^ prcscjit male of the sealing schooner Clara, of tSitka. 



Have hunted seal in the North Pacilic Ocean tor the past three years. 

 llave seen and taken the lirst seal off the west coast 

 jsii-mtioi). *^^ Vancouver Island in April. The seals then are on 



the advance up the coast. 1 now use shotgun exclu- 

 sively tor taking seal. 1 thiidv that (!(> per cent of the seal shot with 

 shotguns are lost. \Vhen rilles are used a, still larger 

 M,.,st ;iii iir.-nant jx'r ccut is lost. iVIost all scals takcu are lenmles 

 *""•''"«• with young. 1 think the fenuiles sleep more on the 



water and are less acti\'e and are more easily taken than 

 the nnile. A few nude seal are taken. 1 would say they are generally 

 ,) or 1 years old. A few yearlings arc killed, mostly fenuiles. About 

 li\(' bull seal are killed out of every hundred taken. The sex of seal 

 can not be distinguished in the water unless it be an 

 in.iis.rinni.Mio kill- ^,]^| |^^„[j_ ^,, discrimination is used in taking seal; 

 everytiiing that, conu's near tin; boat is killed. When 

 seal are killed dead theysiidc very cpiick, esi)ecia.lly if killed when they 

 fust put tlieir head above water, as they do not have a chance to take 

 breath. -Most all seal are shot in tiie head when it. is ])ossible to do so. 

 Seals have decreased very last the last three years. 

 Doi-roiiso. rjiji^, decrease is caused, 1 think, by the indiscriminate 



killing of seals in the water. Llave never known a puj) 

 No poia-.r births. ^^^ ^^ hi.)Yn iu tlic watcr or anywhere else on the coast 

 n.. not haul out on of Alaska. Have never known fur-seal to haul out on 

 '"'"' tlie land anywhere on the coast of Alaska. Have 



never been in Bering Sea. 1 think that the only way the seal can ever 

 beconu' plenty again is to stop all pelagic sealing iu 



l'iot(Htiou. n • o 1 X o » 



Bering Sea. 



E. lloFSTAl). 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 7th day of April, 1892. 



A. W. Lavendlr, 

 United IStates Treasury Ayent. 



