The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-23
SHR|NHAGE OF THE SEAL CATCH
RESULT OF PRESIDENT JOR-
DAMS INVESTIGATIONS.
Decline of the Herd is Everywhere
More Distinctly Marked Than it
Was Last Year, and For 1898 it
VIII Be Still Greater-The Rea-
sons Given.

Portland, Ore, Aug. 22.-Dr. David
Starr Jordan. commissioner in chief Of
the fur seal investigating commission
and George A. Clark, secretary of the
commission. on the revenue cutter
Rush, Captain w. II. Roberts com
handing, passed through Portland to-
day. en- route for San Francisco. The
party left Unalaska on the morning of
Aug. 19.
DR.. Jordan reports the satisfactory
completion of the summers investiga-
lions by the two commissioners. Mr..
Macoun. the Canadian commissioner.
had already left the PribYloff islands,
and the British commissioner, President
Thompson. vas about to leave on H. NJ.
S. Amphion Mr.. Lucas. of the Amer
lean commission. remained behind for
week or ten days. and will go direct
to San Francisco on the steamer Del
Norte.
President Jordan SAID, speaking di-
rectly regarding the result. of his latest
Investigations:
The breeding grounds show a shrink
a5e or aoout Is Der cent over the condi-
tfon5 Of last season; the hauling
grounds a shrinSage of SO per cent.
This is about What was predicted by
tne American commission last year. and
TheQr conclusions are fully cindicated
in all important regards.
line primary cause of sllrinkage of
females On the breeding grounds is the
pelaglc catch of last fa.... and the pres
emit spring. To this is added the loss
due 20 the starvation Of orphaned pups
III 1894. which should this year have
given birth 10 their first pups This
staryaa.ion in 1894. affecting, as it did
IN like measures the male herd, is the
cause of '5Ae diminutio4a Of killable seals
on the hunting grounds
The decline of the herd Is every
where more distinctly marked than 1t
was last year, owing to the effects OF
the resumption of pelagic killing in
Behring Sea after the mOdus vivendi of
1888. For 1898, the shTinl1age will be
still greater through the destruction in
1884 of unborn pups with impregnated
females killed. Thus the evil effects of
pelaeic sealing in any particular year
are still more clearly felt three and
four years after. Even if pelagtc seal
ing should be stopped at once. the de-
cline of the herd must go on until after
1900 because of the after effect. due to
offsrcine.
The peiagic fleet in Behring Sea
numbers about 20 vessels. as against
6S last year. The reported catches are
light and improbable. No seizures
have been made.
THE only new fact made known this
Year has been that a parasitic worm
infesting the sandy rookeTy areas is
the cause Of large part OF the early
mortality ampngtups Which was ascrfb-
ed in a general way last year TO tramp
ling.
THE earlv mortality, as a whole,
shows a decrease relative to the de-
creased number of animals
Branding of young female seals,
will be carried On by Colonel
Murray, chief agent on the islands, and
MIR. E. E. Farmer electrician. The skins
Of Ire branded cows returned this year
to the islands show clearly the pern1a-
nencN of the mark and its efficiency to
render the skin unsaleable without in
iurv 20 the animal or to the herd
Branding has the same effect on the
fur herd that branding calves or shear
ing sheep has On these classes of ami
mails. The idea that the seals might
be driven away by branding is sheer
nonsense,
."The catch of the schooner from the
Japan ccss st reported to have taken
branded skins there was examined in
Unalaska by Captain Hooper, and no
such skins were found. nor were any
branded. skins known to have been
taken on the Asiatic coast. The seals
entering this coast are distinct
Species.
The salt lagoon on st. Paul island
has been fenced. and the males, too
young to be killed this year. viii be
heTded there until the close. of pelagic
sailing