290 TESTIMONY 



Deposition of Aaron Simson, scaler. 



PELAGIC SEALING. 



Aaron Simson, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I reside at 



Wrangel and am 22 years. I have linnted seal some off Queen Char- 



^.^^^^ lotte's Island; always use shotgun and rifle. Most of 



xpenence. ^^^^ ^^^j taken by me were cows with pup. In all my 



fcnuik^teken'^''"'''"'* traveling around in the waters of southeastern Alaska, 



'^"''^ '^ ' ' I have only seen one fur-seal in my life. I have never 



xo pelagic birth. ^^qqi^ q^ heard of pup seals being born in the water or 



anywhere in Alaska; nor have I ever seen or heard of fur-seals hauling 



, , up on the land in any part of Alaska. I think that all 



Do not haul up on ^ ., . ., , ,-'^1111 j_ ^ J^^ 1 



Alaskan coast. pelagic Seal liuiiting should be stopped so the seal can 



Protection. bccomc i)lentifnl again, for now the seal are so scarce 



that the Indians can catch but very few, where in olden 

 times they caught plenty. 



Aakon Simson. 

 Subscribed and sworn to before me tbis 9th day of May, 1892. 



A. W. Lavender, 

 United States Treasury Agent. 



Deposition of George ShultJia, chief of the Hyda Indians and sealer. 



PELAGIC sealing. 



George Skultka, being duly sworn, deposes and says: I was born at 



Howkan and have lived there all my life. I am chief of the Hyda 



Indians; am about 50 years old. Am a hunter by occupation. Have 



hunted fur-seal since I was about 20 years old. We commence hunting 



when the geese begin to fly and hunt for a month and a half. The 



geese commence to fly about the last of April. I have 



Experience. always uscd a shotguii for taking seal. I lose pretty 



Indiscriminate kill- near half of the seal that I kill. Always shoot every- 



^°^' thing that comes near the boat in shape of a seal, re- 



kiUed^"^"'' *^^"''^^''* gardless of sex. I think about three females with pup 



out of every ten killed. I kill lots of yearling seals, but 



never examined them as to sex. Never shoot any old bulls, although I 



have seen a good many. There are no seal^left now; 



Decrease. ^^^^^ .^^,^ ^^^^^ ^^j j^.jj^^^' ^^.^ rpj^^, ^.^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^.^ ^^^ ^p^^j 



have been decreasing very fast, ever since the white men with schooners 

 ^. began to hunt them. Have never seen any fur-seal 



opeagic IT . -^fyyj^ jj^ ^i^g water or on the land anywhere in British 

 Columbia or Alaska. Have never seen or heard of any fur-seal rook- 

 eries in British Columbia or Alaska. All the hunters went out hunting 

 this season, and returned home discouraged, only catching two fur- 

 seals. The fur-seal, like the sea-otter, are all gone. 



hi.s 



George x Skultka. 



mark. 



Witness to his mark : 

 A. W. Lavender. 

 H. R. Gould, 



Interpreter. 

 Subscribed and sworn to before me this 12tli day of May, 1892. 



A. W. Lavender, 

 United States Treasury Agent. 



