Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-26
Efforts That Have Been Made to Pre-
serve the Herds.
WHAT BRANDING has ACCOMPLISHED
This Seasons Catch Was the
Smallest in Many Years.
ARTIFICIAL ROOKIE R1ES
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
FORT COLLINS, Col. November 20, 1885,
One mans originality has done more to
settle the sealing question that has vexed
four nations for forty years than any other
one thing. And this man was neither
diplomat great interna tionai lawyer
he was simply special agent for the
United States Treasury Department, who
went quietly to Alaska and lived there for
ten years, until he had solved the problem.
His remedy was as astonishiDgly simple
as it was original. He suggested running
the skins of breeding wild seals by brand
ing, thus making them valueless to the
pelagc fishers, who have caused so much
trouble and loss along the Canadian coast
When he proposed this PLAN to the govern
ment-this and the idea Of fencing in wild
seals-it was rejected at first with scorn.
Later it was accepted and since it has been
put in practice the constituencies pelagic
sealers have been put to it TO make liv
ing.
Just recently Joseph Murray, who was
this quiet but most important factor in the
seal question, returned to his home III Fort
Collins, Col, after ten years In Alaska. He
brought his report with him, but before he
could present it he was suddenly stricken
with paralysis and died on October 1.
Sealing at Low Ebb.
A few days previous to his decease he
favored the writer with two interviews and
talked quite freely upon the subject of the
seal fisheries. Seal fishing, he said was at
its lowest ebb since 1884. This year. on ST.
Paul and St. George Islands, composing the
Pribiioff group in Berng sea, and upon
which are located the only American seal
rookerieS of any moment, there We're killed
1000 seals. Last year there were killed on
these islands 10000 seals. During the ten
years between 1879 and 1889 there We're
killed annually on an average of leo, 900
seals. This year Russia and Japan, the
only two countries besides the United
States owning seal roOkeres, killed only
10000 seals: so that the entire seal crop of
the world this year is less than one-half
that of the United States ten years ago
rms refers, of course, to the legitimate
seal fishing.
Pelagic seal fishing is still practiced, al
though having suffered great diminution
from the regulations enforced by the
United States as to open sea sealing and
the methods adopted for the preservation
OF our seal herds upon the Prbiloff Islands,
1t is estimated by those best able to judge
that since pelagic sealing began more than
100000 seals have been taken from the
open sea in Boring sea and the North Pa
clfic ocean. This means that 100000 breed
ing female seals have been killed, that 300
600 pup seals have starved to death because
their mothers Were killed and that 400, 900
pup seals yet unborn were destroyed. In
view of these facts it is not difficult to de-
tect the cause of the large falling off in the
annual seal product.
Proposed Branding
And there is but little doubt that the en-
tire American fisheries would have been de-
pieted had not some means been adopted
to stem the tide of pelagic slaughter. And
SO rapacious have been the peiagic sealers
that our government has even contemplated
the killing of all of our herds in order to
circumvent the constituencies marauders
of the north seas. But humane scrupleS
interviewed and no such extreme measures
have been resorted to. Various methods
however, were adopted by our government
by which the herds, although terribly deci-
mated, have been kept intact and suffi-
cient number of seals remain if properly
protected, to perpetuate the species. The
first slap taken toward conserving the herds
was the annual branding of the female
seals. This experiment was suggested to
Mr.. Murray's mind by the custom in vogue
in Colorado and other states of the west
of branding cattle, with which he was well
acquainted. Ths purpose to be attained
was TO make the skins of the female seals
valueless for corpmercial uses, and thus
rerd3r the animals immune from the
ages of the pelagic sealers. The idea was
received by the higher authorities with but
little favor at first, but consent was finally
given TO have the experiment tried. Those
opposing it expressed a fear that if the
branding did not absolutely destroy the life
Of the seal it would impair its reproductive
faculties. The experiment was first tried
upon adult seals. A full-grOwn seal with
pup at her side was first to be branded. and
the iron was brought to a white heat and
the animal branded to the very quick, yet
but little pain was manifested by the seal,
and soon the operation was done the
old seal went to her pup and calmly nursed
it. After some $50 adult female seals had
been branded, the branding was confined to
pup seals between the age of three and
| FS.,,, No hoe sNff -
NAL. from hip to shoulder, is griironed
with deeply burned scars, so that the skin
is rendered absolutely valucless for the
manufac ture of furs, and the animal is left
to breed by the open-sea seaiers.
Herding Seals Like Cattle.
The special agent then directed his eff
forts to the preservation of the male seals.
The open or pelagic season under the pres
ent international agreement between the
United States and Great Britain extends
from the list of August until the LIST of
October. This period is included within the
breeding season when the seals, both male
and female. old and young, are inhabiting
the rookeries. The breeding females are
caring for their young, the breeding males.
or bulls, have charge of their harems, while
the non-breeding males or bachelors" are
compelled by the bulls to herd by them
selves. The males take little no food
during this season, while the females are
obliged to go to sea daily to obtain food
in order properly to nourish their young.
Scattered over the seal islands are nu-
merous lakes and lagoons connecting with
the sea by means of narrow inlets, through
which these smaller bodies of water are
supplied with fresh water by the action of
two tides daily. From San Francisco the
special agent had transported a large guam
tity of wire netting with which he fenced
these lakes and lagoons about. leaving
openings through which the seals could be
driven and which could be closed by means
of gates. The bachelor seals We're driven
into these Enclosures about the ist of Au-
gust and kept until the LIST of October and
having plenty of fresh water to disport in
and by nature requiring no food were kept
in good condition until the open season had
expired, when they Were let out ard allowed
to frequent the open again. These
methods have been effective in their re-
suits that the pelagic sealers have become
we'll nigh discouraged and offer to give up
the business providing the government will
reimburse them for the cost of their YES
sells and outfits. This our government would
be willing to do. it is said, We're the gov
eminent of Great Britain to guarantee that
pelagic sealing by any Of its subjects should
forever be abandoned.
Artificial Rookeries.
very careful investigation was made