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NOTES ON THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHERY, 1897. 
By Tuomas SovurHweE.u, F.Z.S. 
Tue take of Seals by the Newfoundland steam sealers in the 
past season has been the smallest it has fallen to my lot to 
record in the seventeen years over which my notes have extended, 
and that notwithstanding the exceptional success of two of the 
vessels. The twenty ships, of the aggregate capacity of 6232 
tons, and manned by 4572 seamen, captured only 126,628 Seals, 
of the net value of £32,564, as compared with 187,516 Seals, 
valued at £55,362, in the previous season, itself a very disastrous 
one. In addition to these about 22,000 were got by the schooners, 
but the catch is said to have been the worst for eighty years, with 
the exception of that of 1864. The ‘ Aurora’ heads the list with 
27,941, followed by the ‘Iceland’ (23,014), and the ‘ Newfound- 
land’ (15,102). These are the only three vessels which exceeded 
15,000 Seals. Two others—the ‘ Nimrod,’ with 14,042, and the 
‘ Harlaw,’ with 11,614—exceeded 10,000 each; but the remaining 
fifteen vessels only averaged 2327 each. The ‘Mastaff’ had the 
misfortune to be jammed in the ice inside Cape Ray, and only 
secured 264 Seals. The ‘Iceland’ and the ‘Nimrod’ made 
second trips for 989 and 453 Seals respectively. 
The failure of the voyage appears to be due to a variety of 
causes, the chief of which perhaps was the prevalence of stormy 
weather, and the consequent unfavourable condition of the ice. 
It is also thought that the Seals are not so numerous as formerly, 
but with regard to this there is considerable divergence of opinion ; 
also that the young Harps took to the water earlier than usual 
this season, owing to the disruption of the ice. There is no 
doubt, however, that with two or three exceptions the steamers 
sought the Seals too far to the north. Formerly the sealing 
steamers all cleared from St. John’s, but of late years they have 
in increasing numbers been taking their departure from more 
northerly ports; the wisdom of this course appears to be open to 
