The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-02
Staying THE SEALS
Last Seasons Catch the Lax1o0e
on Record
Notwithstanding tie Riga nss9ese111D
Govsrnsns the Ssalers IAsy Ses0O0
. Rich HARVEST - IndtAa
uonters EmplopS4

w.P. Roberts. United States consul
n Victoria. b. c., has Just sent TO the
state department a summary Of the re-
port on the seal catch of 1894, prepared
by A. r. Milne. collector Of customs ~
Victoria
The catch was the biggest ever made
In q single year. The total Canadian
catch was 9f,s74. little over $4,000
more than the catch of lses. The num-
be of vessels employed was ffty-nire,
four more than went out the year be-
fore. The crews contained IN all i.s06
men. of whom Sis were Indians The
canoe catch by Indians alone amounted
to $3.50.
A good many people have wondered
whether or not the seal herd is in dan
ger of extinction if operations are con-
tinued under the regulations at present
existing. Mr.. Milne says that the pro-
portion of males is much larger than
Americans have contended il would be.
Pelagic sealing, they held. was dispro-
portionately fatal TO the females
But although 97,i.s seals were re-
ported by the captains of the sealing
feet as having been killed during tho
season, the sex of only e6, 3il was given.
Many of the captains ignored this point
altogether. OF this number, however,
rs many as ii,so5 were females and -,
$50 were males. and the'collector had TO
base his favorable opinion on these
very imperfect returns.
At the beginning of the season il was
generally feared that the hunters
would be seriously handicapped by the
new regulations forbilding the use
of firearms and prescribing the use of
the spear in taking the seal. But. an
fortunately for. the seal, the fear has
been overcome. On account of IL the
vessels went on their voyages with a
larger proportion of Indian hunters on
board than the year before, because the
Indians were known to be more expert
in the use Of the spear than the whites.
But before the end of the season the
white hunters had become fully a.
elSillful Us the Indians.
AL the Canadian seaiers were vessels
of very small tonnage. the largest. the
Favorite, registering $50 tons. and the
smallest, the Annie c. Moore. only
thirteen tons The Favorite got 1 ,s4a
seals and the Annie C. Moore 2.e5o.
/ TheTriumph, of ninety-eight tons, Sc
cured the biggest atch-4,56o The
average tonnage was sixty-six. and the
average crew about twenty-four.
/ Most of the seals were caught OF the
japanese coasts, 99S, against e. 20a
the year before. The British Columbis
coast catch was less than half of what
it was in 1893. The report states that
In Behring sea the catch was made out
side the sixty-mile protected zone,
operations being carried on from tho
LIST of August To the middle Of Septem-
Der.
On the japanese coast sealing com
menced at about latitude so degrees,
and continued north There were none
/ of the interruptions usual of late years
experienced by those who operated in
territory adjacent to Russian waters,
the vessels all keeping well outside tho
thirty mile zone. mainly operating about
lo0 miles southeast of Copper island.
On the British Columbia coast scaling
commenced at about latitude 81 degrees,
I Luchce PiOccSuAnss bOFtnNhru- Inc ucct
returned TO port early in May. the close
seaeon being then ON, and at the end Of
July those of the ships having tho
requisite crews Of spearsmen set Oft for
Behring sea TO try their luck under the
new law OF regulations.
Considering everything, those who
were in position to make the expert
+ ment with any hone OF fair reward did
very well. but. taking the whole feet.
IL is claimed that the season has been
barren of profits or advantage. except
that Of the crews, who were enabled 20
make fair wages OF the total fifty-
nine vessels operating. only tbirty-two
( into the