466 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[June 27, 188V, 



THE FUR FISHERIES OF THE NORTH- 

 WEST SEAS. 



[-By a Skiff Correspondent.] 



IV. — HISTORY OF WATER SEALING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. 



FROM time immemorial the Indians of (lie British Co- 

 lumbia coast have hunted the fur seal , but the number 

 killed by them in any one season was comparatively small. 

 Their method was to go out from the coast in large canoes 

 and kill the seals by spearing them, and this method read- 

 ily procured for them enough fur to supply their wants. 

 About ten years ago the demand for skius "induced a few 

 whites to go off in small vessels and seal along the coast, 

 but they never made large catches. A year or two later, 

 however, the trade began to grow. 



No account was made of this industry in any of the 

 Canadian Fishery Reports up to the year 1876, but in that 

 year Mr. A. C. Anderson, then Inspector of Fisheries for 

 British Columbia, stated in his report that the Barclay 

 Sound and Clayoquot Indians killed about 2,600 seal. In 

 1877 his statistical returns, taken from the Custom House 

 reports of exports, gave the catch as 5,700 skins, valued 

 at $25,650. In 1878 his figures show an increase to 9,592 

 valued at $43,168.50. and in 1879 the fur seal catch had 

 increased to 12,500 skins, valued at $100,000. 



His report of 1880 goes more into detail, and we learn 

 that there were engaged in the pursuit of the fur seal 

 7 vessels, registering 260 tons, employing 27 sailors, 

 186 hunters and 93 canoes. For that year the catch was 

 13,600 skins, valued at $163,200. 



In 1881 the number of vessels had increased to 10, reg- 

 istering 483 tons. They employed 46 sailors, 292 hunters 

 and 146 canoes, but, owing to the very boisterous season, 

 the catch was not nearly so good in proportion as the pre- 

 ceding year, and amounted to only 13,541 skins, valued 

 at $162,492. 



In 1882 the fleet numbered 13 sail, aggregating 775 tons. 

 The number of sailors was 52, of hunters 400, using 200 

 cedar canoes, and the return of sealskins was 17.700, 

 which were worth $10 each or $1T 7,000 in all. 



The season of 1883 was an unsuccessful one. The 

 weather was very tempestuous, and the vessels which 

 sailed for the sealing grounds accomplished but little. 

 Ten schooners of 565 tons burden, employing 40 sailors, 

 296 hunters and 148 cedar canoes, were in Che fishery, but 

 their catch was only 9,195 skins, valued at $91,950. 



The report of 1884, when Mr. George Pittendrigh was 

 Inspector of Fisheries, is very brief and rather vague. 

 From it we learn that 10 schooners, registering 575 tons, 

 were engaged in the trade. They employed 40 sailors 

 and 296 hunters, with 148 canoes, and the catch of "fur 

 and hair seals" is valued at $156,419, nothing being said 

 about the number of skins. .Except for what are appa- 

 rently typographical errors, the figures for the next year 

 are the same; i. <?., 10 schooners, of 575 tons burden, 

 manned by 40 sailors and 290 hunters, who used 140 

 canoes. The catch, as given, is valued at $150,019. These 

 reports of Mr. Pittendrigh would seem to be of no value 

 whatever, as they bear every evidence of being ''made 

 up" from Mr. Anderson's last* report. 



In 1886, as we learn from the very excellent and de- 

 tailed report of Mr. Thomas Mowat, the present energetic 

 and successful Inspector of Fisheries for British Colum- 

 bia, the number of vessels employed in hunting the fur 

 seal was 20, of which two were steamers. Their aggre- 

 gate tonnage was 1,216, and they employed 79 sailors.' 380 

 hunters, 29 boats and 146 canoes. Their catch was 

 35,907 seals, to winch must be added the 3,000 estimated 

 as having been taken by the Indians along the coast, 

 making a total of 38,907 seal skins, valued at $339,070. 



The report for 1887 gives 22 British Columbia and Can- 

 adian schooners as employed, registering 1,529 tons. 

 They were manned by 468 sailors and hunters, and car- 

 ried 50 boats and 131 canoes. The seals taken are divided 

 as follows: Captured by Indians on the coast of British 

 Columbia, 3,500 skins; Captured on the coast of British 

 Columbia and Oregon by the sealing fleet, 8,584 skins; 

 captured in Behring S^a, 21,716 skins; making a total of 

 33,800 seals, valued at $236,600. Among the 22 vessels 

 mentioned are two owned and manned wholly by Indians, 

 The number includes three Canadian schooners seized by 

 the United States revenue cutter in the Bering Sea in 



1886, and two lost on the coast of British Columbia in 



1887. About 23 American schooners were sealing in the 

 Bering Sea in 1887, but their catch is not known. 



A comparison of the British Columbia reports, as given 

 above, shows that the earlier sealing fleets, at least up to 

 1884, were manned wholly by native hunters, wlule Mr. 

 Mowat's figures indicate that within three years a great 

 hange has taken place in the methods of the seal fishery , 

 nd the Indian hunters have been to a large extent re- 

 placed by white men. 



Water sealing, as already described, is carried on along 

 the coast of British Columbia and the Bering Sea. but 

 in these last named waters the seals are on their breed- 

 ing ground and thus stationary. From these breeding 

 grounds as a center they scatter out in all directions in 

 search of food, and then return again to the islands. The 

 sealers know where the animals are, and are thus much 

 more certain of securing them than while they are 

 migrating. 



On the Pribyloff Islands there are perhaps four or five 

 million seals, of which nine-tenths require food and 

 plenty of it at frequent intervals. It is evident that no 

 supply of fish sufficient to feed this multitude can be had 

 in the immediate neighborhood, and consequently the 

 animals make journeys of from one to two hundred miles 

 to reach their feeding grounds. After the seals have 

 reached the island and have taken possession of their 

 "hauling grounds" the sealing vessels hover about the 

 island, seldom coming within sight of land, and en- 

 deavoring to keep on the feeding grounds, where, as has 

 been said, they find the seals asleep. Most of the 

 schooners seized during 1886 and '87 were taken at 

 a distance of 60 or 70 miles from land, and so, by the law 

 of nations, without the jurisdiction of the United States. 

 The schooner Onward was seized in lat. 55° 24' N., 

 long. 168° 17' W., and the Carolina and Thornton in 

 about lat. 55° 50' N., long. 168° 53' W. These three 

 were taken Aug. 1, 1886. The schooner Grace, when 

 taken in July, 1887, was in lat. 55° 09' N., lone. 169° 

 35' W. 



V. — WATER SEALING A DANGER TO OUR SEAL FISHERIES. 



On their larger breeding grounds the fur seals are found 

 in such enormous numbers that a thoughtless person 

 might imagine that they could ne ver all be killed off, Such 



statements have heen made about other animals which 

 seemed even more numerous and had even a wider dis- 

 tribution than the species in question. A case in point 

 which will readily suggest itself to almost every mind is 

 that of the buffalo, which once ranged from Mexico to 

 the Arctic circle in such numbers as to blacken the 

 prairie, and which is now practically extinct. Among 

 birds the passenger pigeon was formerly notable for the 

 vast numbers of its flocks, while at present it is rather a 

 rare bird in the Eastern States. Indeed, it seems as if 

 those species which are particularly numerous and gre- 

 garious are especially exposed to danger of extinction. 



It must be remembered that the seals, whether on the 

 land or in the water, are peculiarly defenseless, and fall 

 an easy prey to man. Moreover they are not without 

 their natural enemies, of which a small whale known as 

 the "killer" is the most important and destructive. The 

 Indians along the coast have learned the value of pelts, 

 and the destruction which they cause must not be over- 

 looked. As an instance of this I may mention that at 

 one killing in Unalashka Harbor in September, 1886, the 

 Indians secured 1.500 seals. Heavy -ales had prevailed 

 for some little time previous, and the seals having come 

 into the harbor for shelter, the natives killed them and 

 the Alaska Commercial Company purchased them. The 

 result of the observations on the Pribyloff Islands bv 

 Captain Bryant go to show that during then absence 

 from the islands at least 60 per cent, of the seals under 

 one year old are destroyed, and during the second year 

 about 15 per cent. more. From this time on until they 

 attain maturity the loss is much less, but amounts to 10 

 per cent, more, so that only about 10 or 15 per cent, of 

 the pups born ultimately become breeders. 



In 1867, when Alaska passed into the hands of the 

 United States, its seal fisheries were the only property of 

 any value known to exist in the new possessions. That 

 these were very important was known, and the question 

 as to what should be done with them soon presented it- 

 self. During the first three years of the United States 

 possession the seals were without protection, and in this 

 short time over 410,000 were killed. The history of the 

 extermination of the fur seals on other breeding grounds 

 was well known, and it became evident that if the fish- 

 eries were to be of any permanent value, the killing of 

 the seals must be regulated by law. In order to protect 

 them, not as a measure of philanthropy, but because they 

 were at that time the only thing of value in Alaska, 

 Congress passed, in the year 1870, the Act which has re- 

 sulted in the increase of the seals up to the present time, 

 while the revenue derived from the lease amounts to 

 over $300,000 per annum, or more than 4 per cent, on 

 the sum paid Russia for the Territory of Alaska. It was 

 manifestly impracticable for the Government to go into 

 the fur trade, and the Act provided for the leasing of the 

 right to these fisheries for a term of years to responsible 

 parties who should pay to the Government an annual 

 rental, and whose interest it should be to treat these fish- 

 eries in such a way as to make them as productive as 

 possible. In a very short time after the passage of this 

 Act the seal islands were leased to the Alaska Commer- 

 cial Company. 



The cry of monopoly is frequently heard against this 

 corporation, and the word isfme which appeals strongly 

 to popular prejudice. There is in this case a certain jus- 

 tice in the cry. The company is a monopoly, but from 

 the very circumstances of the case it could be nothing 

 else. The United States had but one sealing ground to 

 lease, and could only lease it to one party. It is of course 

 possible to conceive that it might have leased the Island 

 of St. George to one individual or set of individuals, and 

 the Island of St. Paul to another person or association, 

 but even if this had been done, it would not have been 

 long before these two persons or companies would have 

 come together and united their fortunes, either by form- 

 ing a third corporation, or by some pooling arrangement, 

 by which neither could interfere with the other, and the 

 two should control the fur seal market. That this would 

 have been done is just as sure as that men are human. If 

 each island in Alaska were a fur seal breeding ground, and 

 each could have been leased to a different individual or 

 firm, there would have been some hope of avoiding a 

 monopoly, but nature has arranged that there should be 

 but two on which the seals choose to breed, and hence 

 the present situation. 



It is an undeniable fact that the Alaska Commercial 

 Co. has made itself unnecessarily unpopular with trap- 

 pers and traders on the Northwest Coast. It; has carried 

 things -with a high hand. Having secured immensely 

 valuable franchises from the Government, and perhaps 

 having what is vulgarly called a "pull" at Washington, 

 it has extended its operation, and has endeavored to secure 

 to itself the whole Alaska fur trade. It has threatened 

 where it might have persuaded, has driven where it might 

 have led, has struck with a club where a gentle push 

 would have served its purpose, and so has attained an un- 

 popularity — not to say hatred — which is, perhaps, on the 

 whole, not undeserved. It has not been politic. Now, 

 within a year of the expiration of its lease, arise these 

 complications which cannot fail to bring its course of 

 action, its deserved unpopularity, prominently before the 

 public. 



Since the lease of the Pribyloff Islands to the Alaska 

 Co mm ercial Company by the United States, owner and 

 tenant hav e protected the fur seal upon their breeding 

 grounds, and so far as possible elsewhere; but if the busi- 

 ness of water sealing increases in the future as it has in 

 the past, protection on the breeding ground will not be 

 enough. In legitimate land sealing, by which is meant 

 that carried on under lease from the Government, only 

 the "bachelor," or non-breeding male, seals are killed, 

 and of these only a certain number— i. e,, 90,000 annually 

 from the Island of St. Paul and 10,000 annually from the 

 Island of St. George. In water sealing, however, every 

 animal met with — be it male or female, old or young — is 

 killed. On the. British Columbia coast it is stated that 

 some males are taken in water sealing, though the pro- 

 portion of males to females is very small; while in the 

 Bering Sea, the seals captured are almost all females. 

 Mr. Thomas Mowat, Inspector of Fisheries for British 

 Columbia, says of the catch of 1885-86: "The greatest 

 number were killed in Behring Sea, and were nearly all 

 cow or female seals." Experienced sealing captains give 

 it as their opinion that at least 75 per cent, of the catch 

 are female seals. 



In 1887 the British Columbia sealing fleet took 33,- 

 800 seals, and it is fan* to assume that the fleet from the 

 United States ports, which numbered about as many 



vessels, took an equal number, so that in all 70,000 seals 

 may have been killed, of which at least 50,000 would 

 ha ve been females. Of these females perhaps one quarter 

 or 12,500 were killed on their journey northward toward 

 their breeding ground, at which time they are pregnant, 

 so that this represents the death of 25,000 seals. Each 

 one of the females taken in the Bering Sea during the 

 months of June, July and August is the mother of a pup, 

 and the killing of this mother is followed by the death by 

 starvation of the pup. The strong, rapidly-growing 

 young must nurse at frequent intervals or die. 



It does not therefore seem unreasonable or unfair to as- 

 sume that the taking of over 50,000 cow seals in this 

 manner really represents a loss of 100,000 seals, of which 

 75,000 would be females. This is a very serious drain 

 upon our breeding stock, and can scarcely fail to affect 

 it, no matter how carefully the seals may be protected 

 while on the breeding ground. 



Up to the present time the seal fisheries have furnished 

 to the United States almost the only revenue that it has 

 derived from Alaska, and although the rapid develop- 

 ment of that Territory gives promise that it will at no 

 distant day be a valuable possession from its other re- 

 sources, still it must be the policy of the Government to 

 protect the seal fishery by every means in their power, 

 and if this is to be done some check must be put on water 

 sealing. fj. B. G. 



[TO BE CONTINUED.] 



TO ALLAGUASH LAKE AND BEYOND. 



NEARLY one-half the great State of Maine is to-day 

 an unbroken forest. Of that vast tract of wilderness, 

 of which the boundary line between Maine and Canada 

 may be called the center, some 16,000 square miles are in 

 the State, and are sufficient to make a square 127 miles 

 on either side, and one-tenth greater than the States of 

 Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. 



Two successive summer cruises in the Moose River 

 country, west of Moosehead Lake, had created a desire to 

 see more of this great forest, and to gain a personal 

 knowledge of the remoter regions of the Penobscot and 

 St. John valleys. Such a journey as would enable a 

 sportsman to penetrate to the heart of so wild and exten- 

 sive a region required careful preparation. In fact, all 

 the spare hours for many weeks had been devoted to get- 

 ting together a suitable* outfit and seeking information 

 about the country to be visited. The time chosen was 

 about the middle of September last, and arrangements 

 were made for four weeks 1 absence from home. The 

 party consisted of a sportsman of long varied experience 

 and no little skill, a veteran of the war; the writer, less 

 experienced and far less skillful, but willing to learn, and 

 two guides. 



The pleasure seekers of our party left Boston by the 7 

 P. M. train on the Boston & Maine R. R. It is an easy 

 way to go hunting and fishing — resting at ease in a luxu- 

 rious sleeper while nearing your camp at a speed of forty 

 miles an hour. The afternoon of the next day, as the 

 steamer bearing us from Greenville to the Northeast 

 Carry touched at Kineo, well-remembered voices greeted 

 us, for there were our guides. Will Redman and Fred 

 Henderson of Moose River, who had come by appoint- 

 ment. These men knew nothing of the country to be 

 traversed, yet we preferred their knoAvn skill and faithful- 

 ness without knowledge of the region to the chances of 

 taking guides who were strangers. At 5 P. M. we landed 

 at the Mortheast Carry, passing the night at the Winne- 

 garnock House on the Moosehead Lake shore. This is a 

 fairly comfortable house, which might be improved in 

 some particulars. 



The Northeast Carry from Moosehead Lake to the 

 Penobscot River is about one and a half miles in length, 

 there being a good road all the way. At the Penobscot 

 termination there is also a tavern said not to be as well 

 kept as the Winnegarnock. At either end of this carry 

 teams are ready at all times to take canoes and baggage 

 across at a charge of one dollar for each canoe and its 

 load. At one time the competition to secure this busi- 

 ness brought on a very angry controversy in which shot- 

 guns and rifles were used as arguments.' Now the mat- 

 ter has been aimcably adjusted and each teamster totes 

 whatever comes to his end of the carry, and takes no 

 business from the other end. It would seem as if the 

 man on the banks of the Penobscot had the best of the 

 argument, as sportsmen usually go in heavily loaded and 

 come out with empty canoes. 



At an early bom- our effects were moved across the 

 carry, and canoes were afloat on the Penobscot. The 

 name signifies Rocky River, and in a dry season is appro- 

 priate, but so frequent and copious had been the rains in 

 the summer and fall, it flowed a full strong river, bear- 

 ing our canoes well above its reeky bed. 



Our outfit consisted of two canvas canoes made by our 

 guide Redman and both nearly new, two tents, three 

 pan of heavy wool blankets, one large rubber camp 

 blanket, cooking utensils, two .44 rifles, one shotgun, 

 ammunition, three fly-rods, three waterproof canvas 

 packs, stout shoes, rubber sporting boots, overcoats, 

 waterproof coats and a complete change of woolen 

 clothing for each sportsman, such few personal effects 

 as guides carry for their own use", and innumerable 

 small articles likely to be needed in camp and in travel. 

 In the commisary department were the supplies on 

 which four men lived twenty-two days, leaving rations 

 sufficient for two days more. In nearly all notes of ex- 

 tensive journeys in the Maine woods, it may be noted 

 that a giving out of provisions has either shortened the 

 stay or caused hardship to the travelers. The following 

 list will suggest that ample precautions were taken to 

 avoid any such disaster in the present instance. When 

 we left Chesuncook, where our pork and potatoes were 

 purchased, we carried: 



SSfbs. self-raising flour. 1J£ bushels potatoes. 



lOlbs. self-raising buckwheat, loibs. cheese. 

 lOlbs. oatmeal. 251bs. granulated sugar. 



151bs. oornmeal. lolbs. maple sugar. 



.201bs. hardtack. 121bs. butter in glass fruit jars. 



;2qts. beans. 6ibs. coffee, 



21bs. rice. lj^lbs. tea. 



20lbs. salt pork. 8 cans condensed milk. 



gOlbs. bacon. 



There were about 3301bs. of provisions in all. These, 

 with the exception of the pork and potatoes, had been 

 selected with care and shipped by freight to Greenville,! 

 foot of Moosehead Lake, in advance.* 



