The herald., 1895-11-25
THE FUR SEAL IS DOOMED
Further Restraint Will Prob
ably Not Be Attempted
PERMISSION TO USE SPEARS
Has Caused the Death OF Tens of
Thousands
II Is Not Believed That Claims for Seizures
Of Sealing Vessels VIII Be Allowed
by Congress
Associated Press special Wire.


WASHINGTON, Nov. 2i.-Information
the last government vessel to leave Ber-
ing sea has just brought down some
startling evidences of the effect OF pelagic
seal ing on the Alaskan seal herd which
frequents the Pribyluff or Seal isnnis.
In accordance with the finding OF the
Paris arbitration. schooners are now per-
mitted to hunt seals in Bering sea with
spears in zone sixty miles around the
island, from tho lst of August.
1t was thought that confnine schoouers
to spears and reducing the season to real
ly 5ce or six weeks, would reduce the
slaughter IN Be1ing sea and allow the
be'd to recuperate. This year not less
than sixty schooners began hunting in
Berng sea Auugst list, aud captured
nearly 40, 900 relts about so per cent of
which we're females. This does not snow
the fall extent of the injury done. The
ssal pups are dependent on their mothers
for the first four or five months of their
existence and without it must sufftr
starvation Acting under instructions Of
their respective snperiors, b.th resident
treasury officers and agents of the North
American Commercial company. made IA
couat OF the de d pups at the close of the
season. when the sealing schooners had
left the sea. The census was inst COM
plpte when the Il ar left and ned 81
GOO. ana does nut include those in the last
stage of starvation. The same condit on
prevailed last year, but the count was
made witt less ex xtctness on account of
snow. 1t is said that the actual pecu
mary loss to the United States and the
commercial worl by this needle was ste
of animals will reach hundreds Of thou
sands of dollars.
Ths United Stites. which has never al
lowed the molestaton of breeding
grounds or killing of females on land,
male an effort last year to stay tho
slau .hter going OF by limiting the land
killing to Is, 000 immature males. 1t is
Questionable If, in the face OF existing
cnn 1itions and the report OF tho treasury
officials, further restraint will be rxer-
tise'i, especially as the request made last
January by the United StateN tr Great
Britain for further protection of the seals
has heen ignored. 1t was attempted by
the United States to stop the bar barity
schooners that subjected ths government
to claims for amages on the part. OF
Canada These claims, which were re-
enacted claims, were rejected last year
by congress, are asain receiving atten-
tioh by the state department and the ar.
ticles of convention providing for a
com mission to sit at Victoria are being
consider d,
1t is believed IN congressional circles
that unless treaty, which must be ra'i-
fled by a two.thirds vote of the senate,
confines the assessment of damages
strictly to vessels passed upon By the
Paris tribunal, and provides penalty
for injury on the part of ell tn, witnesses
called by either government, it will suffer
the same fate as did Secretary Gresham S
proposition TO pay to Canada $425, 900
cut Of hand, despite the fact that mum
Der OF the schoon RS btlonaec to Ameri-
can citlzens and nearly three-fourths OF
the claims ars for prospective catches of
seals.