Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-26
A Valuable Treatise on Their
History and Laws
BY HON. POINDExTER DUNN.
Report of the House Committee ON
Merchant Marine and Fisheries
of the Fiftieth Congress.

Canada on one side and the Upited
States on the other, for it will be found
that the Imperial Government in Lon
don will be greatly disposed to espouse
the side of this republic rather than
that of her own colony, whose position is
wrong from all points of view. Canada
is wrong in the law OF the case, and that col
ony is also wrong from any economical,
equitable or humanitarian view of the
matter that can be properly presented.
1t is the purpose of this and one or two
other papers that will appear as oppor-
tunity offers to demonstrate the. truth of
these assertions. The data is fortunate
ly easily obtained here in Los Angeles
for the reason that one of her most dis
tinguished citizens is former
. Member of Congress from the State of
Arkansas, and as such was the Chair
man of the House Committee on Mer-
chant Marine and Fisheries,
and in that capacity presented
in January last to the House, at the
second session of the Fiftieth Congress,
q most elaborate and complete report
formulated under his leadership by that
committee ON the subject of the Alaskan
seal fisheries. As the subject is engross-
ing q great deal of attention at present, a
HERALD representative, few days ago,
took occasion to converse an hour with
Mr.. Dunn, who has the whole matter at
his fngers' ends and who discussed
most interestingly on the topic in its
many phases. He then handed the
scribe bound volume of the report of
his committee, the contents of which
have, for the past few days, been conned
with more attention and pleasure than
usually attach to the perusual of \ Con-
gressional committee report. But
before going into the matter of
the Alaskan fisheries specifically,
it may be OF interest, and will
surely help the reader to approach
the immediate point of dispute with q
more intelligent grasp of the subject, to
give short historical sketch of seal fish
ing generally.
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF SEAL FISHERIES.
One hundred years ago the seal fish
cries of the world were, for the most
part, in the South Pacific islands, reach
ing from points far to the south to the
island of Juan Fernandez, off the coast
of Chilli, and to the Galapagos islands, at
the equator, near Panama. The seals
were found at numerous points in all the
seas of the latitudes referred to. Of
Cape Horn were several good fishing
grounds. The latter half Of the last
century was the period when fishing for
seals in these latitudes most hourished.
There was no restraint either as to time
of year, class of seals taken, nations
engaged in the trade or otherwise. Who
ever would might fit out a vessel, or ten
of them, and go fishing for seals when
and where he pleased.
SOME STARTLING FIGURES.
A few facts are all the scope of news
paper article will admit of but few and
brief as these notes are, they will give
figures of slaughter that will stsrtle the
reader. At the Antipodes islands, off the
coast of New South Wales, in the years
1914 and 1915, 00,000 skins were taken.
In the years 1920 and 1921, at the South
Shetland islands, more than 800, 900
skins were taken. Captain Wsddell
says of these islands, that two seasons
suficed to exterminate the seals, 30 that
not one of the animals ever returned to
their rookeries again. Professor Elliott,
of the Smithsonian Institute, in writing
of these same rookeries, and of the
slaughter the two years above named
estimates that "not less than 100000
young seals perished of starva-
tion in consequence OF the
destruction of their mothers" In
the Indian ocean, one rooKery known as
Kerquelen's Land, between the years.
seal fishers total of 81 900 900 skins. Bat
An nd , 70 al r1nrtar 49, ha rJa
80 cut off production and so frightened
the animals that from the latter year to
the present day, nearly century, there
has been no year when 100 skins could
be found all along the whole of the long
coast of this rookery.
The next raid was made on the Messo-
fuero island, near Juan Fernandez. For
a few years $4,000 skins per annum were
taken, with the unavoidable result of ex-
terminating the animals. Then followed
the Galapagos islands, which were de-
populated in year or two. Then the
attack was on the Falkland Islands, then
the Shetland islands. The mainland
coast, near Cape Horn, was soon to fol-
low. 1t is estimated that from the
Shetland islands alone 100000 skins
a year might have been obtained for
ever under proper management, whereas
the barbarous methods followed depop-
ulated this and several other rookeries
Just as good in one OK two seasons. These
Shetland islands, which in two years
yielded 100000 skins, were often Wis
tied by an American Captain. He gives
the history of his ventures in these lands:
"We went the first year with one vessel
and got 200 skins; the next season We
took two vessels and came home with
80, 1000 of them. The third year, expect
ing great haul, we took six vessels, but
got only 1,700-all there was left"
The history of the destruction and ex-
termination of the seals of the South
seas was, to large extent, duplicated in
the North Pacific ocean until this vandal-
ism was stopped by Russia. In the year
1900 the rookeries of the Georgian
islands produced 10000 skins. From
1906 to 1923 these Georgian island rook-
cries produced 100000 skins. The
Encyclopedia Britannica says the rocker
les of Desolation island were as prolific.
Tanning in his voyages to the South
seas, says that from the Messofuera
rookeries there were shipped in 179S-99
to China 900, 900 skins.
A GLUTTED MARKET AND Low PRICES.
The result of this indiscriminate
slaughter of seals, and the consequent
gluttiDg of the market was to depress
prices to such degree that there was
small profit even in great cargoes. 1t