River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1912-04-04

Che killing of fur seals while in the water ana
places the legitimate killing of surplus male
seals on land under the direct control OF the
governments interested.
This convention insures the rescue OF the
depleted fur-sea1 herds from commercial ex-
tinction; prohibits the citizens or subjects or
the contracting powers from engaging In
wastefuI cruel occupation, and removes
long-standng disturbance of international good
will
Fur seals inhabit certain parts of both the
northern and southern hemispheres, but the
most important herds live in the north Pacific,
represent three distinct but closely related spe-
cies and are known as the Alaskan Russian
and Japanese fur seals, respectively Although
the northern seals roam widely on the high
seas, they always resort for breeding purposes
to certain definite bits of land, and it is this
habit which gives particular nations property
rights in them and has created several inter
national complications.
The japanese seals visit no land except Rob
ben Island and certain islands Of the Kurile
chain; the Russian seals never go to other
shores than those Of the Commander Islands,
off the coast of Kamchatka; and the Alaskan
seals, after distributing themselves over the
eastern part of the Pacific Ocean as far south
as southern California, make an annual pill
grlmage TO islands in Boring Sea.
OF all the fur seals, the most numerous and
important those of Alaska, which came to
the United States with all the other resources
of the territory when Russia ceded her juris-
diction The Alaskan fur seals have for many
years been the subject of protracted national
and international discussion, and during the
years 1910 and 1911 came in for an unusual
amount of attention. In addition to the con-
sideration received during the diplomatic nego-
tiations resulting in the treaty already men,
toned. Congress has enacted new law re-
lating to the seal islands, a new dispensation
has come in the administration of the islands.
and the government as represented by the
Bureau of Fisheries has for the first time en-
gagged in the business of taking and market
ing seal skins
The new dispensation" includes permanent
scientific observation and control of the herd
discretionary authority to suspend all killing,
and discretionary power to lease the sealing
privileges or to exploit them as a government
monopoly.
The only land to which the Alaskan fur seals
ever resort is the group of small, rocky islands
lying in Boring Sea 215 miles north of Una
laska Island the nearest land These bits Of
bleak land have come to be popularity known
the Seal Islands, from their most conspic-
uous feature; but among geographers they
are called the Pribilof Islands, in honor of the
Russian navigator who in 1885, while in the
employ of a Kamchatkan trading company
followed the migrating seals and ascertained
for the first time where they resorted
At the time of the discovery of the Pribilofs
'chere were no human inhabitants. AS soon
as the Russians began to take sea skins they
transferred thereto from the Aleutian Islands
a number of natives to do the manual labor,
and from time to time established small colo
MES at various convenient points.
The present population numbers about 800
on the two islands.
When the seal islands came into our custody
the fur seals thereon constituted the most val
liable aquatic resource that any government
ever possessed. Owing to the immense body
of animals present and the difficulty of count
ing with any degree of accuracy, estimates of
the size of the herd at that time necessarily
differ widely, the extremes being two million
and seven million. 1t is safe to assume that
the number was between two and half and
four million, distributed on 20 to 80 rookeries.
At the close of the season of 1911 the
Alaskan seal herd consists of not more than
100000 individuals of all ages.
This appalling dwindling of the herd has
,occasioned much concern and has subjected
the government to much unfavorable criticism,
because the government has exercised full and
continuous control during all the intervening
years up to the present date. 1t will be seen
however that the criticism is not justified, for
the reason that the decline and defamation of
the herd came through causes operating when
the seals were on the high seas and beyond
the protecting care of their foster father.
1t is furthermore fact that the government
took active steps to secure adequate protection
for the seals when away from the Pribilofs.
and that its efforts were frustrated chiefly by
the results of an unfortunate international
arbitration.
Although the seals are easily killed by the
methods adopted by man for their destruc-
ton on sea and land, they are capable of with
standing great privation and of undergoing
extraordinary muscular exertion.
To maintain themselves dgring winter in the
,fepDAstous north Pacific without reSorting to