592 TESTIMONY RELATING TO HAIRSEALING. 



The hood-seals are ceuerally iu families, male, female, 



Hood- seals. -, o ./ .77 



and young. 

 Seals have been taken the past seasons on the east coast of Green- 

 land with S. S. G. shot in them; this kind of shot is only used by seal- 

 eis on the Newfoundland coast. 



James G. Joy, 

 Master Mariner. 

 Attested. 

 [seal.] Thos. N. Molloy, 



United ^States Co7isul. 



Affidavit of Richard Pike, sealer {master). 



hairsealing in north atlantic. 



United States Consulate, 

 St. Johns, Newfoundland, June 21, 1892. 

 Personally appeared before uie, Thos. N. Molloy, consul of the United 

 States of America for Kewfouudland, Richard Pike, master mariner of St. 

 Johns aforesaid, who being duly sworn before me, upon 

 Experience. ^^^ ^^^^^ ^.^^^ ; I am a mastcr mariner. I have been en- 



gaged in the prosecution of the seal fishery on the coasts of Labrador and 

 Newfoundland for forty-four years, twenty years of which I have been 

 master of a steamer. I can not speak of the percentage 

 takeron^^Vecou d of scals taken on a " second trip," nor of the sex. Nearly 

 *"'^ijediainers " and ^H the scals takcu arc bcdhimers aud oM harps. The 

 old "harp a'*" taken*''* " sccoud trip" generally covers the month of April. 

 Nearly all seals taken on the '' second trip" are shot on 

 open and floating ice. Very few are shot in the water, 

 ^ How sealing is car- fQj. if i^j^ there is vcry little chance of their capture, 

 as they sink immediately. They are seldom or never 

 fired at in the water, for unless they are very close there is very little 

 chance of their being recovered. Fully one-third of the 

 Waste of life. ^^^j^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ .^^ ^^.^ j^^^^ ^^^ w\m\ wouudcd they 



manage to crawl to the edge of the pan and into the water, and when 

 once in the water they sink or die from their wounds. 



Seals shot in the water in the month of March can be recovered, as 



Difference between tiicy are fat and in good condition, and float, but in 

 sealing in March and the latter part of April, whcu sliot, they sink immedi- 

 ^"^^"^ ■ ately. I am strongly against "second trips," as in my 



^^opposed to " second opinion they are causing a rapid dccHne in the indus- 

 "^Spid decrease of try, likely to lead to the extermination of the species 

 seals caused by " sec- by the killing of old and mature seals, and the destruc- 

 ond trips." ^-^^^ caused by the use of firearms. Some of the men 



resident in the northern harbors, who have been engaged in the actual 

 killing of the seal can give more particular information as to the age 

 and sex of the seals killed. The voung harp-seal takes 



Habits of harp seal. ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ 25th of March, but whcii tlicy 



" ride " the ice and the ice closes they are killed by 

 ^ **°^' batting, that is, when the ice is jammed, and they can 



Lot escape into the water. 



EiCHARD Pike, 



Master Mariner. 

 Attested. 

 [seal.] Thos. N. Molloy, 



United States Consul. 



