FUR SEALS OF ALASKA. 
Russian record of diminution, 1817-1834. 
[Table I, part 2.—Veniaminov’s Zapieska, etc., St. Petersburg, 1842.] 
65 
Seals taken from— 
Year. St. Paul |St. George} Total. 
Island. Island. 
47, 860 12, 328 60, 188 
45, 982 13, 924 59, 856 
40, 300 11, 925 52, 225 
89, 700 10, 520 50, 220 
385, 750 9, 245 44,995 
28, 150 8, 319 36, 469 
24, 100 5,773 29, 873 
19, 850 5, 550 25, 400 
24, 600 5, 500 30, 100 
23 OBO! | waceecemiecin 23, 250 
17,750 1, 950 19, 700 
18, 450 4,778 23, 228 
17, 150 38, 661 20, 811 
15, 200 2, 834 18, 034 
12, 950 38, 084 16, 034 
18, 150 3, 296 16, 446 
18, 200 38, 212 16, 412 
12,700 8, 051 15, 75) 
a 4, 052 2,528 6, 580 
a 4,040 2,550 6,590 
a4, 220 2, 582 6, 802 
TOA. saccvrterecphaentectaneammemeneeroeaeiia seeeareeana st 464, 259 114, 665 578, 924 
aOnly 100 yearlings and 8,952 ‘‘pups”’ (5 months old) in this total; same for 1886 and 1837. . 
ExuHisir C. 
; (Initial memorandum for Ways and Means Committee, by Henry W. Elliott, March 9, 1904.) 
The official record showing the loss of life on the seal islands of Alaska, from 1872 down to 
1903, inclusive. 
Number of 
fur seals « 
Year. Authority. (males, fe- 
males, and 
young). 
1872-1874 | The Surveys of Elliott and Maynard (act approved Apr. 22, 1874) 4, 500, 000 
1890 | The Survey of Elliott (act approved Apr. 5, 1890) .....--......---- 1, 059, 000 
1891 | The Canadian-American joint commission survey (about)....-.-...-.. 1, 000; 000 
1896 | The Jordan-Thompson joint commission survey (p.22 of Jordan’s Prelimi- 
nary Report, Treasury Dept. Doc. No, 1931) .-....------2e--eece eee eee eee 440, 000 
1897 | The Jordan-Thompson joint commission survey declares that the rookeries 
on which the pups were counted show a reduction of 14.4 per cent (i.e., 
14.4 per cent fewer seals than in 1896 —P. 16 of Jordan’s Second Preliminary 
Report (Treasury Dept. Doc. No. 1994); this gives us.......-..--.-2---2-2 22+ 376, 640 
1898 Report Secretary of the Treasury, p. Xxxiv, Dec. 6, 1898: ‘‘ The conditions of | 
the rookeries show a most apparent decrease in the number of seals fre- 
quenting the islands.” No estimate of percentage of loss is made, but it 
can not be ‘‘most apparent”’ unless that loss of life is at least 12 per cent of 
the figures agreed upon in 1897, OF..........---2 22-2 ee cece eee eee eee eects 331, 000 
1899 epee Secretary of the Treasury, p. xxxi, Dec. 5, 1899: ‘'The condition on 
e rookeries shows a continued decline in the herd.” (The agent in 
charge reports ‘‘a decline of 20 per cent” from the figures of 1898. Report 
, Secretary of the Treasury, p. xxxii, Dec. 4, 1900.) This gives us............. 264, 962 
1900 | Report Secretary of the Treasury, p. Xxxxii, Dec. 4, 1900: ‘‘The agent in charge 
reports that the seal life on the islands in 1899 was 20 per cent less than 
in 1898 * * * . The rookeries were examined last season by an agent of 
the Fish Commission. He reports a decrease in the seal life on the rookeries, 
as compared with former years. * * * Smallerseals were taken this year 
than ever before.” Report U.S. Fish Commission, 1900, p. 165: ‘‘ * * 
The seals have been diminishing upon the breeding grounds for many years, 
the annual decrease during the past few years amounting to about 20 per 
cent.” This testimony reduces the herd in 1900 to....._..--....22222---2.--5 233, 962 
1901 | Report Secretary of the Treasury, p. 38, Dec. 2, 1901: ‘‘The enumeration of 
live pups shows a marked falling off from the previous years.” A ‘‘marked 
falling off” in the number of pups would not be noticed as such unless the 
percentage of loss was at least 12 per cent, Or .....--2-.. 2-2-2 e ee eee eee eee ee 204, 887 
