50 
FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA, 1909. 
200 female seals. This schooner employs white hunters and uses the 
Japanese only for boat pullers. As the result of using only white 
hunters, this one vessel alone secured over 1,000 sealskins last 
summer. 
Revenue-cutter patrol . — The patrol furnished by the revenue cutters 
was never before so thorough and effective as last summer. Rarely, 
if ever, was either island left without protection. One vessel w~as sta- 
tioned constantly at St. George and at least one and usually two 
about St. Paul. The two cutters at St. Paul divided the coast line 
between them and each made daily cruises over its territory. In 
addition, one made its station at Northeast Point while the other 
made its base at the village, thus covering both extremes of the 
island. Under these conditions it was difficult for poachers to come 
inside the 3-mile limit except in thick fog when their movements 
could not be observed, and when, in fact, it is my judgment, they did 
enter on several occasions. 
The cutters also regularly conveyed mail to and from the islands, 
and such island passengers as had occasion to go. I visited St. 
George Island on business twice during the summer, through the 
courtesy of the captains of the Manning and Rush, respectively. 
Shore guard unnecessary . — The effective patrol maintained this 
summer demonstrates the lack of necessity of having a shore guard 
of marines in addition to that native guard already maintained by 
the agents. The undesirability of such guard could be demonstrated 
as readily. 
The proposition to station sailors ashore to act as guards to prevent 
violations of our laws carries with it the proposition to abandon the 
effective patrol by the cutters heretofore maintained and to relieve 
these cutters of the necessity of constant cruising or, in fact, of 
anchoring at the islands except occasionally. Dependence would 
be had thereafter for enforcement of our laws mainly upon the shore 
guard and not upon the patrol about the islands by the cutters 
themselves. 
To anyone familiar with the situation it is apparent that the pro- 
tection of the seal islands embraces two elements, namely, first, the 
protection of the rookeries themselves from actual invasion, and, 
second, the maintenance of the integrity of our 3-mile limit. With 
only a shore guard stationed upon land, it is obvious that the 3-mile 
limit would be without protection, as the shore guard would not be 
upon the water, nor could it, on the treacherous shores of the seal 
islands, find landings when it desired to put off and apprehend 
marauders. 
The shore-guard proposition, therefore, would amount virtually to 
an abandonment of the protection of our 3-mile limit and would 
place the situation in about the same status as it was in 1906, when 
