SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE 119 



killed contained only three rockfish, two hake, twenty-four 

 "small fish" and one chimera, — but over eleven hundred 

 squid ! The stomachs of the Steller Sea-Lions contained 

 fourteen rockfish, two perch, thirty clupeoid fish, seventeen 

 "large fishes of 12 to 18 inches," and a few skates, sharks, 

 and squids. 



"The testimony of the fishermen was so contradictory it 

 is of no value. . . . One man claims that the Sea-Lions are 

 becoming more numerous and destructive every year, while 

 another claims that they are rapidly becoming exterminated." 

 There was "practically no complaint" of fish destruction "at 

 the time of the investigation. Sea-Lions were scarcely ever 

 seen in the vicinity of the salmon nets during 1901." 



At the mouth of the Columbia River, "the fishermen were 

 unanimous in their denunciation of the Sea-Lions." "The 

 shallow water and the large number of salmon make that 

 point a favorite feeding ground, and there is no doubt that 

 the Sea-Lions are doing much damage there." "It appears 

 that the Sea-Lions are doing very little damage anywhere 

 excepting at the mouth of the Columbia River." (Report, 

 page 117.) 



A summary of the results of the investigation establishes 

 three facts: 



1. The California Sea-Lion is not guilty of destroying fish 

 to any great extent, and deserves protection, not death. 



2. The Steller Sea-Lion eats miscellaneous fish, but on the 

 coast of California does nothing to merit destruction. At the 

 mouth of the Columbia it is destructive, and there deserves to 

 be kept in check. 



