escape the Russian authorities and in 1806 Russia’s Grand Chamberlain—the
official to manage a royal endeavour—Nikolai Rezanov ordered a complete halt of
seal hunting at the Pribilofs. This decree did not last longer than 1808, however, and
until 1821 the seal hunts continued without significant efforts to regulate them.
That year saw the first regulation to control the seal hunts. The order saw a
maximum take of 50,000 seals per season, a full halt of the hunts every 5 years, and
the sparing of bulls and pups. One year later, specific areas in the Pribilof Islands
were de facto declared sanctuaries for specific time periods. For St George for the
years 1826/27 and for St Paul for the years 1822–1824 and 1835–1837. By 1847,
also ‘sacred cows’ were to be spared from the kills, seal cows that played an
important role for the longevity of the seal herd. This meant that the focus of the
seal hunts had effectively been shifted to immature bachelor seals. Paired with the
quota of 50,000 seals per season, by 1867, when Alaska was sold to the United
States, the Northern fur seal herds at the Pribilof had recovered.
With the sale of Alaska, the US legal system and authorities took over control. As
per the 1868 Alaska Customs Act it was the Department of Treasury that controlled
the hunts of fur-bearing animals in Alaska. This was particularly relevant since in the
1868 season after Russian hegemony had made way for the United States, no
enforceable control mechanism was in place, leading to massive seal hunts, far
outnumbering Russian hunts in the year before. On St Paul alone, for instance,
250,000 fur seals, including sacred cows, bulls and pups, were killed, resulting in a
full ban on the killing of all fur-bearing animals in Alaska. Additionally, the Fur Seal
Service was established, overseeing the implementation of government policies
regarding the seal hunt. This became particularly relevant when Congress in a
Joint Resolution made the Pribilof Islands special government reserves, making it
illegal for anybody to set foot on the islands.
Since the interest in fur seals remained unchanged, however, a total ban on
sealing proved unrealistic. Therefore, on 1 July 1870, the Act to Prevent the
Extermination of Fur-bearing Animals in Alaska was adopted. This act established
a principle ban on sealing, but allowed the Secretary of the Treasury for the leasing
of the right to hunt seals in June, July, September and October to ‘responsible
parties’ for a period of 20 years. Following the Russian example prior to the sale
of Alaska, the catch limit was set to 75,000 seals for St Paul and to 25,000 seals for St
George per year. Apart from this limit, however, the first exemption for the native
population of Alaska was inserted, which was still allowed to hunt seals and other
fur-bearers for subsistence purposes. In 1870, only one company, the Alaska Commercial Company (ACC), was given the lease to hunt seals, which also adhered to
the set provisions.
Even though regulatory efforts were in place and the ACC performed well in
regard to its compliance, technological advances still put the Northern fur seal
populations under increased pressure: larger ships that were able to hunt out at sea
and the increasing use of firearms in the seal hunt had led to further decline of the
seal populations, particularly because the hunts had shifted towards seals in the sea
and not on land. These pelagic seal hunts constituted the mainstay of the hunts
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6 The International Legal Framework for Seals
official to manage a royal endeavour—Nikolai Rezanov ordered a complete halt of
seal hunting at the Pribilofs. This decree did not last longer than 1808, however, and
until 1821 the seal hunts continued without significant efforts to regulate them.
That year saw the first regulation to control the seal hunts. The order saw a
maximum take of 50,000 seals per season, a full halt of the hunts every 5 years, and
the sparing of bulls and pups. One year later, specific areas in the Pribilof Islands
were de facto declared sanctuaries for specific time periods. For St George for the
years 1826/27 and for St Paul for the years 1822–1824 and 1835–1837. By 1847,
also ‘sacred cows’ were to be spared from the kills, seal cows that played an
important role for the longevity of the seal herd. This meant that the focus of the
seal hunts had effectively been shifted to immature bachelor seals. Paired with the
quota of 50,000 seals per season, by 1867, when Alaska was sold to the United
States, the Northern fur seal herds at the Pribilof had recovered.
With the sale of Alaska, the US legal system and authorities took over control. As
per the 1868 Alaska Customs Act it was the Department of Treasury that controlled
the hunts of fur-bearing animals in Alaska. This was particularly relevant since in the
1868 season after Russian hegemony had made way for the United States, no
enforceable control mechanism was in place, leading to massive seal hunts, far
outnumbering Russian hunts in the year before. On St Paul alone, for instance,
250,000 fur seals, including sacred cows, bulls and pups, were killed, resulting in a
full ban on the killing of all fur-bearing animals in Alaska. Additionally, the Fur Seal
Service was established, overseeing the implementation of government policies
regarding the seal hunt. This became particularly relevant when Congress in a
Joint Resolution made the Pribilof Islands special government reserves, making it
illegal for anybody to set foot on the islands.
Since the interest in fur seals remained unchanged, however, a total ban on
sealing proved unrealistic. Therefore, on 1 July 1870, the Act to Prevent the
Extermination of Fur-bearing Animals in Alaska was adopted. This act established
a principle ban on sealing, but allowed the Secretary of the Treasury for the leasing
of the right to hunt seals in June, July, September and October to ‘responsible
parties’ for a period of 20 years. Following the Russian example prior to the sale
of Alaska, the catch limit was set to 75,000 seals for St Paul and to 25,000 seals for St
George per year. Apart from this limit, however, the first exemption for the native
population of Alaska was inserted, which was still allowed to hunt seals and other
fur-bearers for subsistence purposes. In 1870, only one company, the Alaska Commercial Company (ACC), was given the lease to hunt seals, which also adhered to
the set provisions.
Even though regulatory efforts were in place and the ACC performed well in
regard to its compliance, technological advances still put the Northern fur seal
populations under increased pressure: larger ships that were able to hunt out at sea
and the increasing use of firearms in the seal hunt had led to further decline of the
seal populations, particularly because the hunts had shifted towards seals in the sea
and not on land. These pelagic seal hunts constituted the mainstay of the hunts
128
6 The International Legal Framework for Seals