398 INVESTIGATION OP THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 



Lembkey swears that he saved 

 the 3-year-olds from killing as 

 food seals by a 6^-pound maxi- 

 mum skin weight limit, but — 



Mr. Lembkey. Notwithstanding re- 

 peated allegations to the contrary, the 

 regulations of the department fully pro- 

 tect the breeding herd, and these regula- 

 tions are carefully and thoroughly ob- 

 served. They require that no female or 

 marked male should be killed, and no 

 male seal having a pelt weighing less than 

 5 or more than 81 pounds. During the 

 food killing season of the fall and spring 

 seals having skins weighing ovei fi| 

 pounds or under 5 pounds may not be 

 taken, this extra limitation being enforced 

 to preA ent the killing of those males 

 marked for breeding purposes after the 

 new hair has grown in and obliterated the 

 mark which is placed upon their Maes at 

 the beginning of the season. 



Mr. Madden. Right there, let me ask a 

 question. 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Madden. I do not think it will in- 

 terfere. You said that seals 2 or 3 years 

 of age were killed? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Madden. And that no skin weighed 

 less than 5 or more than 8 pounds? 



Mr. Lembkey. More than Si pounds. 



Mr. Madden. Except during a certain 

 period of the season when th, higher 

 weight was reduced to 6| pounds? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yea, sir. 



Mr. Madden. What becomes of the 

 seals mor ■ than 3 years of age? 



Mr. Lembkey. 'J hey aie allowed to ma- 

 ture as breeders. (Hearing Xo. 9, p. 303; 

 Feb. 29, 1912.) 



But, it seems that that 6-1- 

 pound maximum was actually in- 

 creased to 8£ pounds. So these 

 "saved" 3-year-olds in June and 

 July were all killed in the October- 

 November following as "food 

 seals." 



Mr. Lembkey. Let me interrupt you a 

 moment. The instructions for 1904, 

 known as the Hitchcock rules, used this 

 language: "No seal shall be taken that is 

 over 4 years of age." That, of course, 

 was intended to mean that no 4-year-olds 

 were to be killed, but the company took it 

 to mean that a seal was not over 4 yeara 

 until it. was at least 5 years of age, and 

 that they could at least kill 4-year-olds. 

 1 hat was the controversy. 



Mr. McGuire. Right there, Mr. Lemb- 

 key. did you prohibit their killing them? 



Mr. Lembkey. I did. 



Mr. McGuire. Over 4 years of age? 



Mr. Lembkey. I did. 



Mr. Elliott. In 1904? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes. 



Mr. Elliott. Did you do it in 1905? 



Mr. Lembkey. Yes. 



Mr. Elliott. How did you do it? You 

 had no brand on them. 



Mr. Lembkey. By fixing a limit of 

 && pounds on the skins to be taken. 

 (Hearing No. 9, p. 458: Apr. 13. 1912.) 



Dr. Evermann. I wish to call particu- 

 lar attention to th^se paragraphs of the in- 

 structions regarding reservations to be 

 made: 



[Instruction issued Mar. 9, 1936.] 



Sec 8. Sizes of tillable zeals. — No seals 

 shall be killed having skins weighing less 

 than 5 pounds nor more than 8| pounds. 

 Skins weighing more than Sh pounds shall 

 not be shipped from the islands, but shall 

 be held there si bjept to such instructions 

 as may be furnish' d you hereafter by the 

 department. Skins weighing less than 5 

 pounds shall not be shipped from the 

 islands unless, in your judgment, the 

 number thereof is so small as to justify the 

 belief that they have been taken only 

 through unavoidable accident, mistake, 

 or error in ]> dgment. 



Sec. lo. Seals for food. — Thenumberof 

 seals to be killed by the natives for food 

 for the fiscal yea- beginning July 1, 1906, 

 shall not exceed 1.700 on the island of St. 

 Paul and 500 on the island of St. George, 

 subject to the same limitalions and re- 

 strictions as apply to the killing of seals 

 by the company for the quota. Care 

 should be taken that no branded seals be 

 killed in the drives for fond. (Hearing 

 No 10. pp. 483, 484; Apr. 19, 1912.; 



