The record-union., 1897-08-23

PORTLAND, Aug. 22-Dr. David
starr Jordan, Commissioner-in-C Chief of
the 1ur seal Investigations, with George
"A. Clark, Secretary of the Commission.
arrived in Seattle on the revenue cutter
Rush, Captain w. H. Roberts command
ing, and passed through Portland to-
day en- route for San Francisco. The
party left Unalaska on the morning of
August 18th.
Dr. Jordan reports the satisfactory
completion of the summers investiea-
tlons by the two Commissioners. Mr..
Macoun, the Canadian Commissioner
had already left the Pribyloff Islands
and the British Commissioner. Professor
thompson, was about to leave on her
naJesty's ship Aphion. Mr. Lucas. of
the American commission, remained be-.
nlha Tor a week or ten days and will go
direct to San Francisco on the steamer
Del Norte. The breeding grounds show
shrlnkage of about Is per cent over
the conditions of last season; the haul
ing grounds a shrinkage of 33 per cent.
rms is about what was predicted by the
american commission last year, and
thelf conclusions are fully vindicated in
all important regards
Inc primary cause of. the shrinkage of
1emales ON the breeding grounds is the
peiag1c catch of last fall and the present
spring To this is added the loss due to
the starvation of orphaned pups in 1894
which should this year have appeared
TO give birth to their first pups This
starvation in 1894 affecting, as it did
IN like measure the male herd. is the
cause of the diminution of killable seals
on the hauling grounds. The decline of
the herd is everywhere more distinctly
marked than it was last year, owing to
the effects of the resumption of pelagic
killing in Behring Sea after the modus
yivendi of 1893. For 1898, the shrink
age will be still greater through the de-
struction in 1894 of unborn pups with
Ilmpregnated females killed. Thus, the
evil effects of pelagic sealing in any
particular year are still most clearly felt
three and four years after. Even if
pelagic sealing should be stopped at
once, the decline of the herd must go
on until after 1900, because of the after
effect, due to the destruction of nurs-
ing and unborn offspring.
The pelagic fleet in Behring Sea num-
bers about twenty-nine vessels as
against sixty-eight last year The re-
ported catches are light and unprofit-
able. No seizures have been made.
The only new fact discovered this year
has been that a parasitic worm infest-
ing the sandy rookery areas is the cause
of a large part of the early mortality
among pups which was ascribed in a.
general way last year to trampling.
The early mortality as a whole shows
a decrease relative to the decreased
number of animals. Branding of young
female seals, which will be begun after
September 1st, will be carried on by
Colonel Murray, chief agent on the ISL
ands, and E. E. Farmer, electrician.
The skins of the branded cows re-
turned this year to the islands show
clearly the permanency of the mark and
its efficiency to render the skin unsaI-
able without injury to the animal or
the herd. Branding has the same effect
on the fur seal herd that branding calves
or shearing sheep has on these classes
of animals. The idea that the seals
might be driven away by branding is
sheer nonsense.
The catch of the schooner from the
Japan coast reported to have taken
branded skins there was examined in
Unalaska by Captain Cooper and no
such skins were found. Nor were any
branded skins shown to have been taken
on the Asiatic coast. The seals fire.
quenting this coast are a distinct
species. The Salt Lagoon on st. Paul
Island has been fenced and the males
too young to be killed this year will be
herded there until the close of pelagic
sealing.