20 
FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA, 1909. 
26, it must be concluded that enough eligible seals escaped from the 
killing fields to have filled the quota. 
In 1905 the reserve of bachelors was further maintained by over 
10,000 rejections of small seals made during the lessee’s sealing 
season. As the quota of 1905 was aided by the large number of 
rejections in the preceding year, so the 1906 quota must be con- 
sidered as aided by a similar number of rejections in 1905. 
1906. — For this year a quota of 14,476 was shipped, of which 12,536 
were secured from St. Paul Island toward its quota of 13,000, while 
1,940 were shipped from St. George Island toward its quota of 2,000. 
The percentage killed on St. Paul was 59, while on St. George it was 
51, an increase on the latter island over the preceding year of 25 
per cent. In this year occurred, in addition, an important change 
in the regulations, namely, that the minimum weight of skins to be 
taken was reduced from 5J to 5 pounds. This had the effect of 
allowing the killing of several thousand young seals which heretofore 
would have been released and included in the reserve of young males 
from which a portion of the next year’s catch would be obtained. 
With this material aid, however, the quota on St. Paul was not 
secured. 
We find here a decided decrease in the bachelor herd. To secure 
the quota on St. George Island killing had to be 25 per cent closer 
than the year previous, even when aided by the reduction in the 
limit of weight and the savings of bachelors from previous years. 
In spite of the reduction in weight the quota could not be obtained 
on St. Paul Island. Had the number of bachelors in existence 
remained the same in 1906 as in 1905 the reduction of the minimum 
weight and the consequent inclusion among the killables of several 
thousands of young males of a size hitherto exempt would have 
made it possible to secure the quota before the expiration of the 
sealing season. But it is a fact that it was not possible to secure the 
St. Paul quota even by sealing until the last day and with the mini- 
mum weight lowered to 5 pounds. This certainly shows that fewer 
bachelors were on St. Paul in 1906 than formerly. 
The rejections from the sealing fields in 1906, of course, were 
affected by this lowering of the weight, and were 7,217, as against 
over 10,000 in 1905, a loss of over 3,000. This, however, was still 
large enough to save a number of bachelors for the next year’s quota. 
1907. — Practically the entire quota of 15,000 was obtained and was 
secured before the end of this season — the condition which should 
have occurred in 1906 had not a scarcity of bachelors been encoun- 
tered then. St. Paul’s quota of 12,400 was obtained by July 28, 
while St. George’s 2,600 was obtained by July 24. The lessee killed 
more closely, however, as shown by the percentages of killed — 68 
for St. Paul and 44 for St. George. The rejections from the killing 
