The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-07-05
THE FuR.sEkL- ALMOST EXTINCT.
Pleasures Urged by Secretary Bayard to
Project the Animals.

The buffalo has become in the last
dozen years almost an extinct animal:
| elephants are getting scarce; whales
have been harried until both sperm
and right whales are too few for profit
able whaling voyages.
The disputed question whether the
United States can make Behring sea a
closed water, may, as it turns out, save
from speedy extinction another animal,
and that Is the fur-Seal. 1t was re-
ported some time ago that to avoid the
ugly question of closed seas, Secretary
Bayard had proposed to Russia. En-
gland, and Germany, to agree that their
people, while using Behring sea for
navigation, should not still fur-seal
there. TO this proposition, it now
turns out, a broader one has been sug-
gested, namely, that these and other
powers shall agree to make a close
season on fur-seals all over the world.
This animal was once very abundant
in many places. 1t is now found only
on he Alaska coast, ON two Russian
islands in Bchring sea. and at Lobos
islands, belonging to Bucnos Ayres and
yigIlantly guarded by the government.
Hunting for seal-rookeries was, early
in the present century, 4 favorite ven
tute among New England seamen, and
some OF the most important discoveries
were made by them. But they very
quickly eXtcrminated the valuable ami
mails, though the first discoveries made
large fortunes. From the South
Shetland islands, off Cape Horn, 8, ,O00,-
900 skins Were taken in two years, and
that closed out the rookery. An
American sealing-schooner got the first
year 1000 skins, the second year two
vessels took $4,000, the third year six
vessels got only 100 between them.
Kerguelenland in the Indian ocean, in
twenty years yielded million skins,
but the animals were then eXterminated.
MasSafuero. near Juan Fernandez
island, yielded $4,000 skins per annum
for several years, but was then
abandoned, there being no seals left.
South Georgia island, south of Cape
Horn, yielded during a few years l.
100000 skins, but this island is no
longer visited by fur-scalcrs.
The worlds supply of sealsi1in jack
cts now comes entirely from our own
rookeries in Alaska and from those on
two Russian islands, and an animal
which seventy years ago was found by
millions i'll many parts of the world has
at last been penncd up in the BehTing
sea. No doubt, with such care for
their preservation as the United States
and Russia have given, new rookeries
would be established in time in the
Falkland islands, which belong to
l.. 1.
south of Cape Horn, which belong to
Buenos Ayres and Chill; on the islands
in the Japan sea; on Desolation, Ker-
gueland, and other islands south of the
Cape of Good Hope claimed by En-
gland, and elsewhere. In that case
regions now dcsolate and worthless
would become important sources of
revenue to the governments owning
them, as Alaska has been a source Of
revenue TO the United States. 1t is
this consideration, probably, which
has led England to give consideration
to Mr.. Bayard's proposition for an in
ternational protection for the fuI-seal.
The seal on the Alaskan islands have.
in the eighteen years since the United
States bought Alaska, repaid almost its
entire cost. Russia received from the
United States S7, 100000 and the com
pany to which the government leased
the sole right to take seal, with the re-
striction to Kill only males and only
u certain number each year, has paid
She government in eighteen years &c.
100000. At the same time reports of
government inspectors show that the
seal are more numerous now than they
were in 1870. The policy of rigidly
preserving this fishery is therefore, so
completely justified that it is probable
all governments having coasts on
which the fur-seal is likely to breed
will be tempted to Join the United
States in a mutual agreement for their
prcSeryatiOn