FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA, 1909. 15 
QUESTION OF CLOSE KILLING. 
After the Alaska Commercial Company had closed its twenty-year 
lease of the sealing privilege in 1889 there were intimations that 
to secure its quota in the last year the lessee was forced to drain 
the herd of every killable bachelor and to resort to unlawful prac- 
tices to get 100,000 skins. The lease of the North American Com- 
mercial Company closed practically in 1909, when its last quota of 
skins was taken from the islands. To anticipate any questions that 
may be raised concerning the conduct of sealing during the last 
year of this as of the former lessee in 1889, it is desirable to discuss 
the matter here with a view* of showing whether, in securing its quota 
of 1909, the last lessee either violated any law or regulation or did 
any injury to the herd. 
It must be held in mind at the outset that no seals were killed 
on the islands in 1909 at any time except in the immediate presence 
of one or more government agents who scrutinized the killing closely 
and were ready to take active measures to secure enforcement of 
the law should any violation of it be attempted. Among the laws 
to be observed are prohibitions against the killing of any female seals 
or of male seals under 1 year of age. In addition, the regulations 
prescribe a total quota of 15,000, prohibit the killing of male seals 
with skins under 5 pounds or over 8J pounds in weight, and of seals 
that have been marked and released for breeding purposes. All of 
these regulations were faithfully enforced by the government agents, 
who were actually present at each killing, and on the score of com- 
pliance with existing law the lessee may be said to be blameless. 
There remains, however, the other question, whether, even while 
observing the law, the lessee killed closer than the safety of the 
herd would permit; or, in other words, whether the regulations are 
so loose as to allow such close killing in 1909 as would endanger the 
future increase of the seals. It may be well to consider this briefly. 
It has been stated already that killing on St. Paul Island in 1909 
averaged 69 per cent of all seals driven and on St. George Island 63 
per cent. This killing was 4 per cent closer on St. Paul and 17 per 
cent closer on St. George than in 1908, which is to say a killing of 
about 66 per cent of all seals driven on the two islands. One-third, 
or 33 per cent, of all animals driven were released. With one animal 
released out of every three driven it is submitted that killing in 1909 
was not close enough to endanger in any way the safety or future 
increase of the seal herd. 
Another point of consideration is the number of animals released 
from the killing fields in 1909 as contrasted with the number neces- 
sary to be released to prevent decrease in the number of breeding 
