The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-18

British Columbian waters, and returns
along the shores OF Alaska, entering Behring
Sea again by way Of Unalaska.
The pelagic sealers and the Alaskan
Indians meet the seals, kill as many as they
possibly can with spears and Winchesters,
register their catch at Unalaska or at Vic
toria and take care to be in the Behrng
Sea by Aug.1. The number OF females killed
is in excess OF the number of males bull
or bachelor, and between 90 and 10 per cent.
of the skins taken in the spring are those Of
females.
Many fair minded Canadian investigators
fully admit the correctness Of the American
contention that il the Behring Sea herds
are to be saved from total destruction,
pelagic sealing must be prohibited while
they are on their way to the breeding
places and must only be permitted on
the return journey, after the young are
able to gain their own living at sea. The
take Of seals on the rookeries would be con-
fined to the bachelor seals, or young males.
which, until they reach the age Of or
years. are unable to acquire wives, and live
In kind Of clubland on parts Of the ISL
and beyond those occupied as married
quarters by older seals.
The Canadian ship masters naturally pro-
test against this, urging that the whole
commercial benefit which would flow from
the protection would accrue to the United
States, which owns the islands where the
rookeries are located, and that their crews
would make no catch worth speaking Of
even II the herd did increase, since the re-
turn journey Of the seals differs from that
taken by them on their way northward.
During the latter the animals follow
a narrow route. parallel with the coast Of
the mainland. In the course Of this migra-
ton the pelagic sealers can command
the whole breadth of sea covered by the
travelling seals. In autumn these make
direct journey across the open sea, scat
tering over a wide area, and Offering few
chances Of making remunerative CATCH
The rejoinder, Of course, is that the seals
taken on the outward journey are nearly
all females, that they are about to produce
their young and that, apart from the waste
so caused, the absence Of good feeling
and humanity involved in the present
industry are such as to entitle 1t to little
consideration.
So far as the Canadian sealers are con-
cerned, the reduced profits Of the industry
are already driving some Of them out Of 1t.
while there is every prospect that there
| will soon be no more northern seals for
them either to kill or quarrel over. Several
Of them have already found 1t very much
to their interest TO turn the bows OF their
ships in other directions. in consequence OF
which very important sealing industry
has sprung up in the South Atlantic Ocean
in the vicinity Of the Falkland Islands.
In 1880, according to the best statistics.
fewer than 1900 skins were taken at the
| Falkland Islands, but later, after the catch
had fallen so low that 1t scarcely paid to
prosecute the hunt. and the few remaining
seals thus had chance to increase, the in
dustry was resumed with even more salts
factory results than these attending the
hunt in the northern Pacific.
In 1901 but one Canadian vessel operated
In South Atlantic waters making catch
OF, $50 seals. In the following year three
vessels engaged in the fishery. procuring
$40 seals, while during the last season
eight vessels operated there and succeeded
in taking 81 l26 seals. This year the new
industry is being prosecuted on still
| larger scale.