( 65 ) 



NOTES ON THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHERY, 1899. 

 By Thomas Southwell, F.Z.S. 



The event of the year at St. John's is the starting of the 

 sealing fleet, which this year (1899) took place under very 

 favourable circumstances, the weather being fine and the harbour 

 free from ice. As the clock struck eight on the morning of the 

 10th of March, those present witnessed the departure of twelve 

 fine vessels, all making for the offing, their crews full of hope as 

 to the result of the unknown future. The painful memory of the 

 disasters which threw so deep a gloom over the voyage of the 

 previous season could not fail to be present in the minds of the 

 spectators, whose cheers, added to the salutes from the steam- 

 whistles of the vessels, made the hills re-echo as the fleet 

 steamed out to brave the hardships and dangers of the ice-fields. 

 Happily no such disaster has to be recorded as resulting from 

 the voyage thus so auspiciously commenced. 



Of the eighteen steamers present at the Newfoundland fishery 

 fourteen made for the ice off the east coast, and four left channel 

 for the Gulf fishery ; the latter, as will be seen, meeting with 

 only partial success. All those which fished off the east coast did 

 well, and the young Harps (few old Seals were killed) were in 

 exceptionally fine condition ; at the whelping time severe frosts 

 prevailed, and experience shows that in such weather the young 

 Seals thrive and rapidly become fat. 



The first to strike the " Whitecoats " was the ' Neptune,' 

 which met with a small and isolated patch near the Funk 

 Islands, on the 11th of March ; later on they were found in great 

 numbers, and by the 29th of the same month three of the vessels 

 were back again at St. John's with full cargoes — a most expe- 

 ditious voyage, notwithstanding some delays arising from bad 

 weather. 



As the most successful vessel of the fleet, it will be sufficient 

 Zool. Mh ser. vol. IV., February, 1900. f 



