﻿NOTES 
  ON 
  THE 
  SEAL 
  AND 
  WHALE 
  FISHERY. 
  59 
  

  

  vessels 
  had 
  more 
  than 
  15,000, 
  three 
  between 
  that 
  number 
  and 
  

   10,000, 
  and 
  seven 
  less 
  than 
  10,000. 
  The 
  ' 
  Aurora 
  ' 
  headed 
  the 
  

   list 
  with 
  26,069 
  (1652 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  old 
  and 
  young 
  Hoods), 
  and 
  

   the 
  ' 
  Windward,' 
  for 
  the 
  reasons 
  already 
  explained, 
  brought 
  home 
  

   only 
  1185. 
  The 
  total 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  steamers 
  was 
  317,760 
  Seals, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  £89,958, 
  against 
  274,539, 
  estimated 
  at 
  £80,525 
  in 
  the 
  

   season 
  of 
  1902. 
  To 
  these 
  must 
  be 
  added 
  those 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  

   northern 
  shore 
  fishery, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  schooners 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast. 
  

  

  Commercially, 
  the 
  past 
  season 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  very 
  re- 
  

   munerative 
  one 
  ; 
  the 
  trade 
  has 
  drifted 
  virtually 
  into 
  the 
  hands 
  

   of 
  three 
  firms, 
  and 
  fresh 
  markets 
  are 
  opening 
  for 
  the 
  products, 
  

   both 
  oil 
  and 
  skins. 
  The 
  editor 
  of 
  the 
  St 
  John's 
  ' 
  Evening 
  Herald,' 
  

   commenting 
  upon 
  the 
  season's 
  fishing, 
  remarks 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  American 
  

   demand 
  for 
  skins 
  is 
  now 
  so 
  great, 
  consequent 
  upon 
  the 
  discovery 
  

   of 
  a 
  new 
  and 
  improved 
  process 
  of 
  tanning 
  them, 
  that 
  an 
  advance 
  

   of 
  twenty 
  to 
  forty 
  cents, 
  in 
  the 
  price 
  of 
  them, 
  according 
  to 
  size, 
  

   is 
  confidently 
  expected 
  in 
  the 
  near 
  future." 
  Instead 
  of 
  depend- 
  

   ing 
  upon 
  the 
  English 
  market 
  alone 
  for 
  the 
  disposal 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  

   and 
  skins, 
  the 
  American 
  demand 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  

   entire 
  catch, 
  and 
  the 
  probability 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  fleet 
  will 
  be 
  further 
  

   augmented. 
  "Years 
  ago 
  Seal-oil 
  fetched 
  only 
  £18 
  per 
  tun 
  in 
  

   London, 
  whereas 
  it 
  now 
  fetches 
  £28, 
  and 
  skins 
  then 
  were 
  worth 
  

   only 
  2s. 
  6d. 
  each, 
  whereas 
  they 
  now 
  realize 
  3s. 
  6d. 
  each. 
  ... 
  In 
  

   the 
  face 
  of 
  these 
  figures 
  it 
  is 
  clear 
  that 
  the 
  sealing 
  industry 
  will 
  

   take 
  on 
  a 
  new 
  lease 
  of 
  life, 
  so 
  to 
  speak" 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  look-out 
  for 
  

   the 
  Seals 
  themselves, 
  owing 
  to 
  this 
  increased 
  impetus 
  in 
  their 
  

   pursuit, 
  is 
  a 
  black 
  one. 
  That 
  the 
  supply 
  has 
  not 
  shown 
  signs 
  of 
  

   exhaustion 
  hitherto 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  understand, 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  point 
  

   to 
  a 
  reserve 
  of 
  breeding 
  Seals, 
  the 
  whelping 
  haunts 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  

   not 
  hitherto 
  been 
  discovered. 
  

  

  Happily 
  no 
  accidents 
  or 
  untoward 
  incidents 
  have 
  this 
  season 
  

   to 
  be 
  reported, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  hardships 
  incidental 
  to 
  this 
  

   arduous 
  and 
  perilous 
  enterprise. 
  

  

  The 
  ' 
  Terra 
  Nova 
  ' 
  has 
  been 
  purchased 
  by 
  the 
  Government 
  

   to 
  join 
  the 
  ' 
  Morning 
  ' 
  as 
  a 
  sister 
  relief 
  ship 
  to 
  the 
  ' 
  Discovery,' 
  

   now 
  engaged 
  in 
  Antarctic 
  research. 
  She 
  sailed 
  for 
  the 
  south 
  on 
  

   26th 
  August, 
  1903, 
  and 
  the 
  ' 
  Windward 
  ' 
  goes 
  to 
  replace 
  the 
  

   'Vega,' 
  whose 
  loss 
  I 
  shall 
  have 
  to 
  record 
  below. 
  

  

  f2 
  

  

  