Name: Forty Years On The Pacific — Seals in Behring Sea
Author: Frank Coffee

Quotes from Forty Years On The Pacific — Seals in Behring Sea (Frank Coffee)

Frank Coffee, Forty Years On The Pacific — Seals in Behring Sea (1920)

“ Countless thousands of dollars have been reaped from the rookeries of Alaska, where the fur-seal made its home. Romantic are the stories that could be written of the early days of the whaling fleets, that made their ways north from Victoria, British Columbia, and strange and startling the experiences of the men in charge of the trim little schooners that fought their way through storm, wave, and bergs, to the habitat of that muchly prized swimmer of the Northern Seas, to provide the glad raiment for milady. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frank Coffee, Forty Years On The Pacific — Seals in Behring Sea (1920)

“ Doubtless during the early days of the pelagic sealing, for every seal taken there was another killed or fatally wounded, and never recovered. It is said that on one of the Russian islands, Tolstoi, the ground is covered with the bleached bones of "pups" for which there was no market value, the skin not reaching that maturity which makes its fur to be rized. Fashion's whims, too, have had much to do with the industry. The price of a sealskin coat that once could be bought for a few dollars now staggers the average man. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frank Coffee, Forty Years On The Pacific — Seals in Behring Sea (1920)

“ Owing to the fact that they do not swim at depth, the food of the fur seal is taken from the surface. Small fish and squid make up the bill of fare; and they remain in the water until their food is digested. The nursing fur seal rarely feeds any but its own "pups"; and, despite the tricks of the orphans to steal a bit of milk, they are ever on the alert. She has the greatest affection for her own offspring; but is positively savage in the way she treats any other. They are easily fatigued when on land, and often become overheated ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frank Coffee, Forty Years On The Pacific — Seals in Behring Sea (1920)

“ The male seal reaches full maturity at about seven years, and weighs from four to five hundred pounds. The female is much smaller, weighing about eighty pounds. During breeding time the females congregate in "harems," each male having from thirty to one hundred females in his charge. The young male, known as the "bachelor," is not permitted to come near the rookeries during the breeding season, being kept away by the watchful eyes of the "bull," who preserves his position as lord and master of the "harem," and must remain without food during the entire time of the breeding season. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frank Coffee, Forty Years On The Pacific — Seals in Behring Sea (1920)

“ No notable changes in the habits of the fur seal have resulted from any action of man. It is not possible for man to drive away the fur seals from any of their haunts except by killing them all. Pelagic sealing, in the opinion of the International Commission, headed by Professor David Starr Jordan, was the sole cause of the continued decline in fur-seal herds. The chief cause of death of the females on the rookeries is caused from the wrangling of the "bulls," and in the struggle of the reserve of idle "bulls" to steal "cows" from the> "harems." ”

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"harems."">Source: Wikisource

Frank Coffee, Forty Years On The Pacific — Seals in Behring Sea (1920)

“ The most important rookeries of Alaska are on the Pribilof Islands, and, although seals range over the spaces of the Western Seas, it is not known where they come to land, excepting on these and other Northern islands. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frank Coffee, Forty Years On The Pacific — Seals in Behring Sea (1920)

“ The big fleet which used to make its way north, lies idle in Victoria harbor, or at least a great part of it did until the demands of the war made desirable every bottom which could be put to use and had a spar left from which a sail might swing. ”

Frank Coffee

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Quotes from Forty Years On The Pacific — Seals in Behring Sea (Frank Coffee)

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Frank Coffee

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Quotes from Forty Years On The Pacific — Seals in Behring Sea (Frank Coffee)

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Get perspective with Kwize: daily news enlightened by great literature