177 EXTRACTS ILLUSTRATING THE DAMAGE DONE 

 BY SEALS TO FISHERIES. 



Injuries to the Fisheries in the Baltic by Seals. By Mr. 



Hinclcelmann. 



BALTIC FISHERIES. 



c.A'^vF?^,*^^ "The constantly increasing number of seals on our Bal- 



States Fish Com- .. j^ii • i . . ^ i 



mission, voL vii, tic coHsts has Dccome SO serious a danger to our coast nsh- 

 1887, p. 81. eries that it appears high time to find ways and means to 



keep these injurious animals away from our shores. Ten 

 or fifteen years ago, when our fishermen still underrated 

 their destructiveness, and at best were amused to see one 

 of them, it was hardly thought possible that these animals 

 would one day endanger the fisheries on the coast of Sles- 

 wick-Holstein, where they formerly appeared only in small 

 numbers and at places where there was not much chance 

 of their injuring the fisheries." 



# # # * • 



Ibid,, p. 82. "It is not easy to answer the question as to how the evil 



can best be remedied, for even the use of poisoned fish as 

 bait (apart from the danger connected with this method) 

 would not be of any use, because the seals are very choice 

 in the selection of their food, and would only take to the 

 dead bait if there was absolutely no chance to get fresh 

 fish, a case which will hardly ever occur in the open sea. 

 It might be recommended to make an experiment with bow- 

 nets made of galvanized iron wire, painted brown, like the 

 colour of the bow-nets usually employed. The shape of 

 these bow-nets should be that of the common bow-nets 

 used for catching cod, but the entrances to the different 

 chambers should be so arranged as to make it easy for the 

 seals to slip in. Live fish — especially cod, of which the 

 seals are very fond — might, if necessary, be put in these 

 bow-nets when they are set ; but there would probably be 

 no lack of bait to attract the seals, as even in wire bow-nets 

 plenty of fish are caught. Such an experiment, which 

 should be made in places frequented by seals, would not 

 involve any great expense, and would certainly be a step 

 toward solving the question as to the best way of protect- 

 ing the fishermen against the seals." 

 530 



