Kansas City daily journal., 1896-12-27
The Future of the Fur Seal.

From the Philadelphia Ledger.
Within few weeks the United States
fish commission has issued two valuable
documents on the condition of the fur seal
herds in Behring sea. One the first, is
by Leonard Stejneger, of the National mu-
scum, of Washington, D. c., and the other
is by Commander I. ]. Brice, now United
States fish commissioner. Both gentlemen
are recognized as high authorities on the
subject, but the paper of the latter is of
more direct interest, because 1t deals brief
ly and forcibly with the whole subject of
the future of the fur seal industry, while
the published results of the former are
very voluminous and confined principally
to the condition of the seals which gather
onVthe Russian islands in the western part
of .Behring sea.
The results of the Investigations of Com
missioner Brice lead him to the conclusion
that there are but three definite alterna-
tives of settlement-first, that the United
States government effecrually terminate
the present international dispute over the
question by absolutely annihilating the
Alaskan seal herd as the animals arrive on
the seal islands; second, that the govern
ment permit the pelagic poachers of Brit
ish Columbia to destroy the seals on the
rookeries and in the vicinity, and thus ul-
timately destroy the legitimate industry
of killing selected seals on the islands; and
third for the British government to enact
laws to protect an industry which is now
generally conceded in America to have
from the outset been of more commercial
interest to Great Britain than to the Unit
ed States. While the first proposition may
seem to the general public harsh and cruel,
Commander Brice Is emphatically of the
opinion that the action of immediate ex-
termination is humane and even warranted
by the facts that no amount of existing
regulations is adequate to preserve the seal
herd, and that the patrol of Behring
sea by American naval and revenue ves-
sells is ineffective in preventing the havoc
of pelagic hunters, who annually kill thou
sands of nursing female seals and leave
their pups to starve.
1t will surprise those who have approved
the rules which have substituted the spear
for firearms in killing seals to learn that
according to Commander Brice, the use of
the former weapon Is doing. more than the
latter to aid the hunters to rapidly deci-
mate the rookeries. The silent destruction
of the spear, he says, does not frighten the
seal, while the warning noise of the fire.
arm renders the animal more shy and
wary as the season progresses.
Both Commander Brice and Mr.. Stejneger
agree that the blame for the decrease in
the seal herds rests upon pelagic hunters
and pelagic hunters alone, but the latter
believes that by united international agree
ment 1t would not be long before there
would again be vast herds of these valua-
BILE fur bearing animals in Behring sea.
He advocates the total and absolute prohi-
bition of pelagic sealing in the North Pa
cific ocean and Behring sea at all seasons
for at least six years; the total prohibition
after of pelagic sealing at all seasons with
in radius of 150 miles of the breeding"
Islands, and the total prohibition of seal
ing on land for one year. This is common
sense, and any but selfish present individ-
ual interests would approve.
The question will come up in congress
at its present session under a bill which
authorizes the secretary or the treasury to
kill all the seals unless Great Britain will
agree to give the animals better protection
against pelagic hunters. In view of this
the two pamphlets on the subject are par
ticularly timely and valuable.