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4. Conflict in the Bering Sea, 1886-1899
- University of Washington Press
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4 Conflict in the Bering Sea, 1886-1899 Wen the United Statesand the British empire first clashed over sealing rights in the North Pacific in the 1880s, both relied on international law to justify their positions. Great Britain, with full support from Canada, stood fast on the principle of free use of the seas, which had long been the gospel ofthe empire's naval might. The United States countered with a number of weak arguments meant to exempt the seals and their habitat from accepted law of the sea. What the Americans lacked in legal reasoning they made up for in tenacity. Neither side saw the sealing dispute as a matter of conservation of a resource; both sought a quick victory that would terminate the dispute. The inability ofthe United States to succeed using traditional diplomatic tactics forced an appeal to science. Throughout the 1890s, American diplomats turned increasingly to science for arguments against pelagic sealing and justifications of government policies. As scientists compiled evidence that revealed the evils of pelagic sealing, it became clear that diplomats could also appeal to public sentiment in their efforts to end the killing of nursing female seals. After losing the legal battle at the Paris Tribunal in 1893, American diplomats gradually found themselves using nontraditional arguments to counter London's position. In this shift, Americans received help from British leaders, who for three reasons moved toward compromise. First, they increasingly saw the need to maintain the friendship of the United States in a dangerous world. Second , American scientific evidence suggested that continued pelagic sealing might destroy the species and, therefore, undermine the London fur industry . Third, believing themselves the most civilized people in the world, the British had difficulty sanctioning the killing offemale seals. Still, they could not easily yield on freedom of the seas. And until Americans accepted the 108 Conflict in the Bering Sea idea that seals were common property, not national property, Canadians believed that they were simply being muscled out of a productive business byjealous Americans. Compromise would not come easily. THE NORTHERN FUR SEAL Unlike the boundary water fisheries, fur seals lent themselves to a diplomatic solution. Seals appealed to the public, they were well understood scientifically, and their skins were a valuable resource. In addition, located in a remote corner of the globe, the fur seal was not a concern for state governments or threatened by the complexities of habitat loss, and access to the species could be regulated. The historian Samuel Flagg Bemis provided a pithy summation of our scientific knowledge of the fur seal in a sentence famous to students of diplomatic history: "Amphibious is the fur seal, ubiquitous and carnivorous, uniparous, gregarious and withal polygamous ."! The scientist and rabble-rouser William T. Hornaday, who knew a thing or two about bitter conflict and contention, best captured the nature ofthe historical dispute surrounding the seal when he wrote that the fur seal "has been the cause ofmore years ofbitter conflict and contention between nations ... than any other wild animal species." 2 The life of an individual fur seal follows a predictable cycle. Pups are born on the rookery islands in June and July. For a few months they stay on land while their mothers forage for food in the surrounding seas. Duritig this time, pups are subject to a number ofthreats. On sandy areas, parasitic worms will drain the life out of many. In some cases, raging bulls defending their territory trample the pups. Sea lions, orcas, and other large predators may devour those that wander into the water. Still others die of starvation if their mothers are killed. By November, the survivors can fend for themselves and begin to leave the barren beaches where they were born. Their first winter in the water is the most trying time of their lives, as they must survive on instinct alone. They must swim thousands ofmiles, catch enough food, and avoid predators, all without touching land for months. Under these pressures, the average life span of a male seal is only two years, for a female less than five.3 Beginning in April, fur seals return to their rookeries. The largest of the herds uses the fog-encased Pribilof Islands in the eastern Bering Sea as its base, while the other main herd goes to the Russian-owned Commander Islands. Smaller groups of seals use Robben Island and the Kurile Islands 109 [34.204.177.148] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 18:14 GMT) ! Cl!) ,:' ~~ ,: ~ ~ f?'v...