THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHERY OF 1898. 129 



later than usual, namely on the 12th of March,* and killing was 

 prohibited before the 14th; no second trip was allowed, and the 

 season closed on the 20th April. It happened in 1893 that the 

 seals were very far south and farther than usual from the shore, 

 and the 'Esquimaux' was the only vessel which cleared from 

 St. Johns, eleven leaving Greenspond, 150 miles further north, 

 six others sailing from Seldom-come-by, further north still in 

 Fogo Island, and one even so far to the north as St. Anthony ; it 

 thus happened that all the vessels practically missed the southern 

 pack, being to the north of them, and when they should have 

 fallen in with the northern pack, owing to the gales of wind from 

 the W.N.W., the ice had been so driven off the shore and broken 

 up by the sea that it was impossible for the men to approach the 

 scattered seals on foot over the loose ice, which, on the other 

 hand, was not sufficiently open to admit of their pulling to them 

 in boats. The sea, too, which amongst the pack-ice is quite 

 smooth, amongst these loose streams was very rough, and in 

 addition the crews suffered greatly from frost. Had all the 

 vessels cleared from St. Johns, as was formerly the case, and 

 started on their voyage two days earlier, it seems highly im- 

 probable that the breeding seals would have been missed. The 

 same adverse conditions of the ice which so prejudicially affected 

 the pursuit of the Harp Seals rendered the fishery for the 

 Hooded Seals equally unproductive, and the three vessels which 

 fished to the west of Newfoundland in the Gulf of St. Lawrence 

 did not average better than those to the east. 



The twenty-two steamers engaged in the Newfoundland fishery 

 make a return of 129,060 seals, old and young, all the vessels 

 participating to a greater or less extent, the largest number, 

 12,770, being secured by the 'Eagle,' the 'Nimrod' following 

 with 12,182, but these were the only two vessels whose catch ran 

 into five figures, the average of the whole being 5866, which 

 number was exceeded by eleven of the vessels, whereas the 

 remaining eleven were below it. This compares very badly with 



* Sailing vessels may sail for the Seal Fishery on the 1st March, and 

 remain out as long as the Captain thinks fit, taking seals whenever he has 

 the opportunity. The custom in sailing vessels is for the crew to get one* 

 half of the catch for their share ; in the steamers they only receive one* 

 third. 



