The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1900-05-19
PELAGIC SEALING.
Number of Fur Bearing Seals Takel
In Canadian Waters Last
Year.

1Ac Ndndulan seal nSnery IN the ia
cifc ocean for the season of 1899, ac-
cording to the official reports just
published, was so successful as to war
rant the authorities at Ottawa in pro-
testing against the adoption of strict
er precautions in connection with the
seals of Behring sea. The Behring
sea fleet of 1899 consisted of 20 vessels
OF 1894 tons register, with crews of
213 white men and 5S7 Indians, and
the total catch was 34,454 skins, be-
sides an Indian catch of S92 on the
coast. This total of 35,346 skins is
larger than that of 1897 and 1895. OF
the 26 vessels, 20 operated on the
British Columbian and Alaskan coasts,
while these same 20, and others, oper-
ated in Behring sea-, and only one OPP
Grated on the Asiatic side. The coast
catch was 10,471 skins, the Behring
sea catch 23,2S4, and the Asiatic catch
500, says the New York Sun.
From 1892 to 1896 there was an av-
erage of more than 60 vessels annual.
ly engaged in the sealing business. In
1896, Ga vessels secured 53,234 skins,
whereas in 1891 81 vessels secured So
437. In 1897 the fleet dropped to II
vessels, securing 29,342 seals. The sta
t~istics show that in the whole his.
tory of Canadian pelagic sealing, the
average catch for 1899 has been sur
passed only twice, namely in 1890 and
1894. In 1890 the average catch was
1887 skins to a vessel, in 1894 it was
1888 and in 1899 it was 1925. The
phenomenal catch of 1894 was princi
pally taken on the Asiatic side. Now.
adays the sealers have almost ceased
exploiting the Asiatic waters and arr
combining themselves to the North
American waters of the North Pacific
Many of the vessels cleared from
Victoria earlier than usual in 1899 ant
proceeded southwark to the Cali
fornian coast, as good success was
met with there during the ~previou.
year. Although the spring catch
was a fairly good one, it would UNI
doubtedly have been much better blu,
for the unpropitious weather.
The sealers r reported to have
OoSNh NSu tANll ODilSdtlon
under the regulations provided by the
Paris award, and the year wa.
marked by the entire absence of any
seizures or undue interference by pa
trolling vessels.
All the reports coming from Can
adam sources are to the effect thai
the seals are undiminished in mum
bers. The masters of the sealing yes
sells say that in the neighborhood o.
the F~airweather grounds, where tn,
seals congregate prior to entering
Behring sea, through the Aleutial
passes, they are seemingly as numer
Gus as in former years, and it is sale
that, generally speaking, they ar,
not found at sea less often than il
the old times, though they are Ger
tainly growing more timid and mi
gratory.
reference is made to the branding
by the United States authorities o
seals, the %expeoient having been re
garded by some people as having al
injurious effect upon the herd. From
the sealers' standpoint, the effect can
not be very great, unless the branded
seals die, for out of last years tota
take of 1886 skins, only 16 BRANDED
nes were found. This seems to SHOW
that the branding of seals forms n,
factor in pelagic sealing.
Quite a change of position has beef
noted of late in the Behring sea seal
by Canadian hunters. On the coas
they have materially extended tn
area of their resort in a southerly di
rection. while in Behring sea there i
a distinct trend north, bringing then
| principally to the northeast of tn,
Pribyloff islands. Some believe thi
to be due to the disturbance of tn,
seals upon the islands, and the con
sequent incentive to seek other breed
ing grounds. By others it is believed
that the changed distribution of tn,
seals is rather to be attributed to tn,
movement of the fishes upo whicl
they feed.