200 couNter-case of great Britain. 



coktrast with russian killing. 



No sucl) inuiiber of seals bad been killed in an^^ year 

 iiiidei' the Kussian control since 1806. The character of 

 the new and unprecedented draft W'hii^h thus began upon 

 seal life is very clearly shown by diagram No. 5 in the 

 Keport of the British Commissioners. 



THE QUOTA APPLIED TO MARKETABLE SKINS; MANY 

 MORE SEALS WERE KILLED. 



It is further to be noted that the number fixed by law 

 a])i)]ied to marketable skins only, while the actual 

 230 number of seals killed exceeded 100,000 in every 

 year, save three, of the Alaska Commercial Com- 

 pany's lease, and in some years very considerably exceeded 

 this number. Thus, during the period of this lease, not 

 less than 129,530 seals (consisting for the larger part of 

 unweaned young) are shown by the official figures to have 

 Waste shown t>cen killed for food or other purposes, of which the skins 

 byofficiaitisures were iiot marketable. This alone, and without counting 

 cent!^ "^'^'^^ ^^"^^ other causes of loss (which will be subsequently referred 

 British Com- to) incident to the methods practised, amounts to a waste 

 port.pams. 49^50! of over 7 per cent, on the whole number of skins secured. 



HOW THE EFFECTS OF THE POLICY INITIATED MAY BE 



TRACED. 



The effect of the excessive rate of killing thus initiated 

 and allowed to continue on the islands, and the changes 

 which it i)roduced on the organization of the breeding rook- 

 eries, all of a nature deleterious to seal life — and resulting 

 in the main in almost continuous decrease in total number 

 of seals from the first years of the United States control — 

 are referred to in some detail by the British Commissioners. 

 See particular- In tracing this eficct, reliance is chiefly placed on the ofl&- 

 mi."^onlrrs''^Ke-^*^'^^ Rcports made from time to time to the United States' 

 port, paras. 47- Govemmeut, but the evidence thus afforded is fully con- 

 1%.^'^'^'^^^' ^^^~fii'"ietl by personal inquiries and information subsequently 

 obtained. 



THE EXCESSIVE KILLING MAINLY RESPONSIBLE FOR 

 DECREASE ON THE ISLANDS. 



While the contemporaneous official Eeports are not in 

 all respects so full and explicit as could be desired, it is 

 submitted that they now form the best available evidence, 

 and are for all purposes superior in authenticity to the 

 retrospective statements which ai[)pear to be almost exclu- 

 sively deiiended upon in the Case presented by the United 

 States Government, in regard to the questions here at 

 issue. 



It is not maintained on the part of Great Britain that 

 the operations of pelagic sealers have been without effect 

 on the total volnme of seal life in the North Pacific"; but, 

 on the contrary, it is admitted that this has in late years, 



