Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-30
A SEAL COM MISSION
One Proposed in Which Japan and Russia
VIII Participate
How the determination Of the Herds
May BE Observation-Disclosures OF
the Closed Season.

1t Is understood that the effort which
was made toward the close Of the last
session Of Congress to secure q new inter-
national commission for the consideration
Of the seal question, and with the view Of
preventing the entire annihilation of the
species will be revived at the beginning Of
the next session, when 1t IL believed that
Congress. having more time for consid-
ering the matter, will be fayorably dis
posed toward action.
1t was urged when the bill was before
Congress last session that there was great
danger that II the present regulations were
allowed to remain in force another year
there would be very few of the seals left
to protect, hut this view Is not pressed
now, and the opinion Is expressed that
even after this years crop Of pelts shall
have been harvested there will be a sufi-
cient nucleus remaining to allow rapid
increase in case those left are sufficiently
protected.
The Killing This Year.
The experts on the question estimate
that there yet remain about 900 seals in
the American. herd. and they expect it to be
reduced by at least one-third during the
approaching season. This estimate allows
for the killing of hundred thousand of
these seals in 1895. This is In excess OF the
number of American seals known to have
been killed last year by about 44.O00. but
there are reasons for believing that the
British sealers will enjoy some privileges
this season which they did not have in
1894. and it is also surmised that they viii
make especial effort to increase the catch
in view Of the possibility of greater re-
strictions in the future.
Commission Now Proposed.
The commission now proposed is to be
composed of delegates from Japan and
Russia, as we'll as from this country and
Great Britain, and those who pressed the
question upon Congress at its last session
contend that it is possible to secure the
assent of all these nations. Indeed, 1t is
understood that assurance has already been
received that Japan and Russia would join
in the enterprise, and there is some reason
for believing that England could be
brought to see that her permanent interest
would be best promoted by providing
greater safeguards
The United States authorities are es-
pecially anxious to secure an extension of
the closed season. so as to embrace August
and If possible. September also. as well as
May. June and July. This extension Of the
time would. they say. insure the protection
Of the mother seals until the young should
be old enough to take care Of themselves.
and would thus allow the natural increase
to proceed, except for the losses Of females
outside CT the closed season. If in addi-
ton to this they could secure a cessation
of the killing while the commission was
sitting, which would materially increase
the herd, there would be no doubt that the
annihtlatiou of the animals could be pre-
vented. -
Worked In an Opposite Direction.
Another regulation made by the Paris
tribunal which has been found to work in
the opposite direction from which it was
intended it should is that permitting the
spearing Of seals in Bering sea, and pro-
hititirg the shooting Of them in those
waters. Almost all the seals killed there
are females seeking food, while their young
are left on the islands. and they are
caught while asleep in the water. The re-
quirement that they shall be killed with
spears, and not guns. permits the destruc-
ticn to go on SO quietly that the animals
near those killed are not disturbed, where
as 1t is urged that II guns were used the
report would awaken them, and many
more would escape than under the present
system. II is therefore, desired to secure
a reversal Of the regulation, SO as to per-
init the use Of guns, and prohibiting the
Use Of spears.