INVESTIGATION OF THE PUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 359 



THE DEADLY PARALLEL. 



All killing of fur seals on Pribi- 

 lof Islands is ordered under rec- 

 ommendation of advisory board, 

 of which Townsend is a member: 



Mr. Bowers. I have referred, in my re- 

 port of June 30, 1909, to the Alaskan fur- 

 seal service as follows: 



"On the establishment of the Depart- 

 ment of Commerce and Labor, in 1903, the 

 Alaskan fur-seal service was transferred 

 thereto from the Department of the Treas- 

 ury, to which it had been attached for 

 many years. In the Department of Com- 

 merce and Labor this service formed a 

 distinct branch and was administered 

 through the Secretary's office until De- 

 cember 28, 1908, when it was transferred 

 to the Bureau of Fisheries. The Commis- 

 sioner of Fisheries has appointed a special 

 board, composed of five members of the 

 bureau's staff who have personal knowl- 

 edge of the Alaskan fur seals, and to this 

 board will be assigned for consideration 

 and recommendation all ma iters pertain- 

 ing co the seal life on the Pribilof Islands, 

 the blue foxes, and other animal resources 

 on the islands, and the Government's rela- 

 tions to the natives and the lessees. On 

 January 13, 1909, the Secretary, on the 

 recommendation of the commissioner, ap- 

 pointed an advisory board for tb 3 fur-seal 

 service, consisting of Dr. David Starr 

 Jordan, Dr. Leonard Stejneger, Dr. C. 

 Hart Merriam, Mr. Frederic A. Lucas, 

 Hon. Edwin W. Sims, Hon. Frank H. 

 Hitchcock, and Mr. Charles H. Townsend. 

 The Government is thus enabled to avail 

 itself of the expert knowledge possessed 

 by these naturalists and officials, who, 

 through visits to the seal islands and 

 through previous duty on fur-seal com- 

 missions or in the administration of the 

 fur-seal service, are familiar with the 

 problems involved in the management of 

 the seal herd and the seal islands." 



Mr. Patton. These recommendations 

 were made to your bureau? 



Mr. Bowers. Yes. 



Mr. Patton. And were not made by 

 you at all? 



Mr. Bowers. No, sir. 



Mr. Patton*. But were made by this 

 advisory board? 



Mr. Bowers. Yes, sir. [Pleading:] 



"It is recommended that, for the pres- 

 ent, no fur-seal skin weighing more than 8£ 

 pounds or less than 5 pounds shall be 

 taken, and thac not more than 95 per cent 

 of the 3-year-old male seals be killed in 

 any one vear." (Hearing No. 2, p. Ill, 

 June 9, 1911.) 



Townsend swears that he does 

 not know how the killing has been 

 done on the islands; does not 

 know" what a yearling seal skin is. 



The Chairman. What can you tell us 

 abouc the killing of seals? 



Dr. Townsend. I hardly know what 

 the methods are at the present time. I 

 have not been there since 1900. I could 

 only discuss that subject now in a general 

 way, if that would be satisfactory. 



The Chairman. You have not been 

 there since 1900? 



Dr. Townsend. Not since 1900. 



Mr. McGillictjddy. Are you familiar 

 with the means and modes of skinning 

 seals as they do up there on the islands? 



Dr. Townsend. Yes. 



Mr. McGillictjddy. Is there any way to 

 determine the age of a seal from an exami- 

 nation of the skin after it is taken off the 

 body? 



Dr. Townsend. Oh, yes; I think a per- 

 son handling a considerable number of 

 then would be able to throw out the differ- 

 ent ages. 



Mr. McGillictjddy. There seem to have 

 been two ways of determining the age of a. 

 seal, one is by the measurement of the skin 

 and the other by the weight. You are 

 familiar, I suppose, with both methods? 



Dr. Townsend. Only from hearsay. I 

 do not know that I ever measured one or 

 ever weighed one. 



Mr. McGillictjddy. You have no prac- 

 tical information on that subject? 



Dr. Townsend. I have no practical in- 

 formation on that subject. I do not re- 

 member that that matter was ever in my 

 instructions at any time. I do not re- 

 member that I ever went into it. 



Mr. McGillictjddy. So far as your in- 

 formation goes, which do you regard as 

 the more reliable way of determining the 

 age of a seal, by measurement or by weight? 



Dr. Townsend. I can not say. I have 

 not gone into that subject. (Hearing No. 

 12, pp. 736, 737, May 24, 1912.) 



