Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-06
THE SEAL P0ACHERS.
An Expert Opinion on the Opera
tions in Bering Sea This Year.
END OF OPEN SEA HOSTILITIES.
Why the Russian Side Is Likely to Be
Visited This Time.
PROBABLE SIZE OF THE YEARS CATCH

WASHINGTON, July 5.-'This is just the
time that the seal herd In a body passes
down to the westward and up near the
Aleutian Islands into the Bering Sea- !"
said an official who has had years Of ex-
perience in studying the habits of seals, to-
day. "Up to this time" he continued,
'the great bulk of the fur seal had engaged
in feeding south of Kodiak Island and the
Shoomagin Islands over a strip of the North
Pacific ocean some 400 miles east and west
and so miles north and south. am salts
fed, too, that it was in open water that the
sealing schooners have been carrying on
their depredations against the seals thus
far, and not in Bering Sea. This is shown
by the fact that the seizure of the CoquillaA
at Port Etches, Prince William Sound, was
simply for violation of the revenue laws,
and the 25 sealing schooners found in that
port were ordered out and not seized. The
Coquillan is a supply vessel and had on
board stores for the sealing fleet which is
about to follow the seal herd into Bering
Sea 1t is the practice OF the sealers to
haul off as soon as the herd has passed from
the open sea into Bering Sea and transhiP
their catch.
II am Of the opinion that the majority of
the sealers will then head for the Russian
side of Bering Sea.
''If the fur seals were as numerous to-day
as they were in 1872 there might be good
reason for sealer to work in Bering Sea
before the opening of July; but those
animals have been run down so in numbers
that literally nothing is LETT of the herd
now but vast majority Of mother seals or
females, and these seals do not go into
Bering Sea until the expiration of their
period of CESSATION drives them TO the
Pribvlov Islands, where they must land to
be safely delivered of their young But
until that time arrives they prefer the
better fishing grounds of the North Pacific
Ocean south of the Aleutian passes, the
peninsula of Alaska and Kodiak, and they
tarry there as long as they can.
Difference Between Last Year aud This.
"The present arrangement between
Great Britain and our Government is an
Improvement upon that of last year. As it
now stands these sealers can and will be
held up at any time in Bering Sea without
the formality of being warned previously.
They are all liable to seizure when first
apprehended. Last year they had the
express immunity of getting of scot Tree
when seized unless it was proved that they
had been boarded and warned before enter
ing Berlng Sea or Wnlle IN IT. Ihe seaiers
have no such fine loophole for escape this
year, and comparatively few of them will
risk run into Bering Sea this year.
six men of war, three revenue cutters
and the Albatross, all cruising in that area
of radius Of 2G0 miles around the Pribylov
Islands. spread ont over thissfeld, with the
fog rising and falling over the scene in the
most arbitrary and unexpected manner.
what guarantee has poaching schooner
that after sailing two or three days or
week IN thick weather when it suddenly