The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-10-11
7HE FATE OF TIL: Fur SEAL.
Large Catch This Year ind Further d..
mlnutlon ia tho Numbers of the Animals.

intuition III the Numbers Of the Animals.
WASHINGTON. Oct 10.-The scaling season in
tho North Pacific and Bchring Sea is now over
and It becomes possible to gather its results.
or these the ono which will interest the
greatest number OF people md which Just now
possesses tho most commercial importance Is
that therc has boon little falling of from last
ycar in tho number Of skins taken. This, OF
course. Is something OF a surprise. yet the rca-
sons arc Ineligible. There arc three main
sources Of supply. namely. tho Pribylov ISL
snds. the Copper Islands. and the private vcs-
sells. 1t hnppcns that last year tho North
American Commercial Company. which leases
the islands OF st. Paul and st. George. took less
than one-fourth of the former annual quota Of
skins. while this year 1t had notice Of the p,odus
rirendi agreement so late that it exceeded the
number to which it was limited thereby. Then
the poachers were unusually numerous and
busy this season. SO that by the time they were
warned out OF Behring Sea they had secured
more skins than during the entire season OF
last year. when they were unmolested. Finally,
tho Russians were not parties to the n,OduS vi
rendi agreement
While the agreement limited the North
American Company to 1900 skins. about 5000
had been taken before its date, and these. with
1900 thereafter captured. made 5000. There
were also. it appears about 1000 skins Of ami
mails killed lato last year for food. making
about $4,000 skins in all sent to San Francisco.
As last seasons regular catch was only y 500.
the falling on from that source is not great.
Agent u. R Tingle. representing these lessees.
reports that the catch OF forty-eight British
twentythree Hmerica sn Vessels eH s5s5 maxi MAXIM
q total Of 52.OS5. The tendency Of the iessees
OF TIE Sc seal islands is to exaggerate the havoc
Aug 10. the catch OF two-thirds OF the fleet
was reckoned by other authorities at 27.UOO.
n PS ayo Asen as' ThGs @
ures. The total catch OF the Victoria
e: sasvd s COAST 81 81 Hass S
been an increase Of about 1000 this G year rim in
s madh ans hs hs5s he
private schooners end the lessccs Of the Priby-
I 10y Islands Last X Hcar ths Copper Island
skins. The, statement has been made that tho
Eusfah cateh this year has falen of about
Special AGENT Williams If tho
entch ha nsS and n h %e
eastern part q Behring Soa would naturally
Summing up al! the figures. It's quite proba-
Bile that the entire catch Of tho year wi ex
ceeed 100000 skins. so that thore need DO no
ipr OF the seal during the coming year.. After
mat there may be q greater lack. especially IL
Russia should join in the noaus rirendi agree
ment.
Ascend point settled by the Investigations
g p,o the season + that seal Ne Is decreasing
this point. and asoribo it largely to the nelagic
ealing Of the Canadian p2achcrs. Sir George
f laden; Powell and Pr Dawson. tho british
!le seals rs being plentiful. Yet 1t appears
H!a' thHy speak in general ~ there being lat It.
siess number at BIT. Georges Island. These
are rough estimates by authorities inclined to
s TSSs 'sS numnsr Fl saaig as arg. as goS-
sgs "?" H tw s"f sa tHGso ES1' wS@
nna liberal allowance on the basis Of these
ii ay r that would show filling %r Of
Mt year, He also !s not likely to have over-
,sstlmn'r'l tn" number al, that time. since hs
S Gas ass VERY Gar1esy thft they Wiz" in
nh'h:, III tho rate Of n quarter OF II mi lion II |
; ;ef their practical '!isappcarance must nn,n
@ b. rhah . II nHny sh%st I'M" "v a1 Is
,r,f'ainra Is an inErniouG process Of putting |
IN tags On the tails Of the young seats thai
t sn. possibly we are indebted to the, dcpreda-
Me prthyi2y Island herd on its way to our
layer ~ value during the last few years.
the t to tner" must also be Gp.pt rodgction IN
n When Ase senE nr se Ms. sh hs f"ar
s wee o. tho ioyernmcnt. no reported that his
SSs s,s,a Mr. Moves. had estimated tho num-
ne ~ ~, ,eals on =; Paul and St George islands
,ut,o,sght thcm below 5000. 900: hut lie said
wsN t,hcre could he no loubt that tho number
,esyati Sn m TaEng the more con,
T TaMiy bn question that there has been vast
is,nrsy'ase,. both according to tho calcu-
, rauots % Prof. Elliot last year and tho
milch esti1ntos Of the British Com
Wi,f,hrnncrs Tor the present Year Agent
,ys,a anis Is said to hold the belief that on an
Ine mat is captured In the open sea: tho
i MAKE thnn 20, uommissioners are reported, to
T s, estimate tho private sealing scbooners
se spe must have xii ed from 900 900 to 100000
su as IN order to got tho comparatively small
H ANU mo numbers killed at the Russian and
te aIinlcra islands and tho fact that pelaGlc
tsssn Me makes no distinction OF age, scx, or