The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-11-07
treaty PROPOSED
FOR PROTECTION
OFSEAMAMMALS
Destruction of Animals Leads
to Efforts to Prevent
determination.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 10y
the Associated Press)-F1tty years
ago a 1ime.juicer," as the big
square.rtgged sailing vessel Of that
time was called, would have to
shorten sail and steer a careful
course along the South Pacific
coast at certain seasons II II want.
ed to avoid destructive collisions
with the California grayhack whale
And II the skipper trained his
glass along the coast line, he pro-
badly would see every exposed rock
or seward shoal black with ele-
plant and fur seals. Closer in he
would note great tortoises aid sea
turtles, while above would wheel
the Hermann gull.
Such an orgy Of destruction has
been loosed on these sea creatures
some Of them termed by scientists
to be "the biggest animals in the
world" in the last half century,
that there is a campaign on today
to have the State Department ne
gotiate treaties with all countries
bordering on the Pacific to prevent
their absolute determination.
One Of the great mammals, Stel.
ler's sea COW, already has Joined
the Great AUX. the Dodo and other
storied creatures OF dead age.
In l741, when the, exploring shin
OF Captain Yitus Boring was wreck.
ed on the island that bears his
name, the great, sluggish sea COWS
were found laundering about by
DIT. George William Steller, doc
tor OF the expedition. Large herds
later were seen feeding the kelp
and seaReed around the nearby
Commander islands, and 1t soon
was found that their meat made
an excellent human food.
When the news Of the discovery
OF Boring Island was made known
to the world several expeditions
were fitted out to hunt the sea
COW. How well they succeeded is
attested in the fact that by 1854,
only 13 years after It's discovery,
this great animal, "a to 80 feet
long and weighing three or four
tons when fully grown, disappeared
from the ocean. Moved by the near
ness Of similar fate for the war
rus, the elephant seal, the sea OF
ter and the southern whales, the
Committee on Conservation OF Ma
rine Life OF the Pacific a part OF
the American Association for the
advancement OF science has start
cd the campaign to have the state
department act.
one hundred years ago, the com.
mittee points out, q species OF fur
seal had extensive breeding rock.
cries on the Farallon Islands and
other Islands on the coast line OF
California and Mexico. More than
100000 Of these seal were killed
in the short period between 1903
and 1911 on the Farallons alone,
while thousands of others were ad.
ded to the slaughter on the chan.
mel islands to the southwark. This,
campaign virtually exterminated
this species OF seal.
Further objections to the whole
sale determination Of whales have
been raised by the sardine fisher
men Of Montermen OF Monterey
Bay, California, who claim that the
whales herd the sardines inshore.
Recently the examination OF the
stomach OF q humpback whale
brought into the Moss Landing
whaling station in Monterey Bay
yielded'from 500 to 5000 pounds Of
sardines. In the stomach OF a sporm
whale was found a ten foot shark.
Due to the failure OF the United
States and Great Britain to in
clude Japan in the treaty Of 1892
forbldding tho killing OF seals in
the open sea, the Alaska fur seal
herd was decreased by nearly 30O,-
900 from 1897 to 1911, according to
scientific data. A new fur seal
treaty was negotiated in 1911, the
participating countries being the
United States, Great Britain, Rus.
STA and Japan. Since the time that
treaty was made the herd has In
creased by nearly 100000. So great
has the increase been that there is
q suspicion that pelagio or ocean
scaling is again going on against
the strict ruling Of the guardian
nations. II is pointed out that any
nation not signatory to the treaty
may engage In this sort OF sealing
among the Alaska herd, and exter.
inmate It in time If new treaties
are not drawn up.
Under the treaty Of 1911 the In
dians Of California, Oregon, Wash
ington, British Columbia, and
aborigines OF Japan and Russia are
permitted to both along the coast
lines and in the ocean, and It is
a. At