The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1897-06-10

Jand they have such an
Isatiabfe appetite for fish that if
hey were allowed to increase and
multiply and train up their children
TO eat fish they would have disas-
trous effect on the shore fisheries.
1t has been proved by experiments
that seal with normal appetite
will eat from 20 to 25pounds of fish
a day, and it can be seen that at this
rate it does not take a very large
number of seals to produce fish
famine of no small proportions.
Last year the county commission
ers of Essex county alone paid boun-
ties aggregating $3.50 for seals, which
would mean that $50 were killed, as
the bounty is So a head. This, it is
probable, does not represent more
than half of those actually destroy
ed, as only about half are recovered,
for the reason that, unless, killed at
once, they nearly always manage to
reach the water when shot and sink
to the bottom when they are dead.
1t is probable that there are along
the coast of Essex county / 200 seals
at least, and these, figuring 25
pounds of fish day for each seal,
would use up 9,125,0 900 pounds of
fish in the year, or enough to sup
ply 175, 900 persons with four fish
balls every Sunday through the en-
tire year. This only represents a
small part of the fish which would
be consumed by the Massachusetts,
seals in the course of the year, as
they are thick all along the south
shore until the sand begins at the
head of Cape Cod, for the seals are
not found to any extent where the
shore is sandy. They prefer the
rocks.
These seals are what are known
as dog seals and are entirely differ
ent in outward appearance from the
fur seals of the north. Their skin is
smooth and leathery, good deal
like that of a porpoise, only tough
er. In their general shape, however,
they are good deal like their north
ern congeners, having the same
round head and large, soulful eyes,
which make it matter of consider
able difficulty for a tender hearted
person to shoot one, even for So.
There is no regular method of kill
ing the seals, and it is almost all
done fortuitously, aahx persons,
usually sportsmen, who are out for
some other reason than the deliber-
ate slaughter of seals for mercenary
purposes. Most of the killing is done
in the spring, when the seals are
rutting and come out on the rocks
in large numbers. Even then, how
ever, it is not at all an easy matter
to kill them, as they are very shy,
and unless killed at the first shot
will wriggle off into the water and
die there, sinking to the bottom.
The only time at which there was
any organized sealing expedition
was several years ago, when about
20 seals got up into a river back of
Plum island, near Newburyport. A
party of enterprising fishermen
stretched a seine across the mouth
of the river, and at low tide went
and killed all the seals with clubs.
Outside of the bounty the seals
are of little value. There is a good
deal of oil in them, as, on account
Of their unrestricted indulgence in
fish, most of them are very fat, and
their skin is worth something for
leather. The bounty was originated
in 1888, when it was placed at 81 a
head, but as it was found that the
seals were Increasing in number it
was raised to SO, which is the sum
at present paid. Boston Transcript.