HISTORY OF THE FUR SEAL ISLANDS. 25 
THE COMPANY’S MANAGEMENT. 
At once upon assuming control of the islands the Russian-American Company 
put a stop to tie ruthless slaughter which threatened the fur-seal herds with destruc- 
tion. They, however, attempted to limit the extent rather than to reform the charac- 
ter of the slaughter. They still continued to kill males and females alike. The injury 
‘to the herd naturally continued, and in 1806 and 1807 it was found nécessary to 
suspend killing in order to give the herd an opportunity to recuperate. In 1808 killin g 
was resumed, but still without proper regard for the conditions of seal life.* 
INJURIOUS METHODS. 
Gradually, however, the habits and interests of the herd began to be better known 
and cared for. In 1820, Yanovsky, an agent of the Imperial Government, after an 
inspection of the fur-seal rookeries, called attention to the practice of killing the 
young animals, leaving only the adults as breeders. He writes: “If any of the young 
breeders are not killed by the autumn they are sure to be killed in the following 
spring.”t From this course of action he concludes that the industry decreases every 
year in volume, and may in the course of time be extinguished entirely. Probably as 
aresult of this, in 1822, as Veniaminof tells us, provision was made for the reservation 
of young seals for breeding purposes. This provision was hardly sufficient, however, 
to accomplish the desired end so long as females of any age were killed. As a natural 
result, another crisis in the history of the herd was reached in 1834, But it is not clear 
whether this was due entirely to indiscriminate slaughter or to the combination of 
this with disaster resulting from the continuance of the ice floes about the islands far 
into the summer, preventing the cows from landing to give birth to their young and 
grinding them to pieces in the ice itself. This latter possibility exists as a tradition 
among the Aleuts, though in their minds it may have been confused with a subse- 
quent catastrophe of a similar character recorded by the manager of St. Paul Island 
in 1859. In any event, it seems very clearly established that in the year 1834 the 
herd was in a most precarious condition. The natives were not even allowed to take 
seals for food, and for a time all killing was suspended. 
PROTECTION OF THE FEMALES. 
At this time it seems to have become fully understood that if the herd was to 
continue its females must be protected.§ Accordingly from this time on the taking of 
seals was limited strictly to the males, “ But the managers of the fur-seal herds had 
still something to learn. The requirements of the Chinese market were the only guide 
to the class of skins desired, and as all sizes were taken the killing of males included all 
ages from old bulls down to the gray pups. Gradually this wasteful killing stopped. 
The bulls were no longer taken and the killing of gray pups was limited to such as 
were needed for food and oil. || 
*Veniaminof, Trans. Elliott, Monograph, Fur Seal Isds., 1881, p. 140. 
+ Appendix to case of U. S., Fur Seal Arb., Letter No. 6, p. 58. 
{Appendix to case of U. 8., Fur Seal Arb., Letter No. 29, p. 87. The dire results here predicted 
seem not to have been felt by the herd. 
§ Appendix to-case of U. §., Fur Seal Arb., Letter No. 23, p. 82. 
|| Appendix to case of U. 8., Fur Seal Arb., Letter No, 24, p. 82. 
