Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

Chapter 18
New ideas for Management and
Conservation of the Elephant Seal stock:
their implementation
T
he South Georgia sealing industry under government control since the
beginning of the twentieth century has been more successful than most if not
all marine ‘fisheries’ industries. Between 1910 and 1964 over 260,000 elephant
seals were taken producing nearly half a million barrels of oil. The industry ceased in
1964 following the end of the whaling industry at South Georgia, to which it had
been subsidiary. At the present day the number of pups born each year is close to the
estimate I made in 1951 and the total number of all classes is probably rather more
than it was then, because the adult male component of the stock increased after
sealing ended. I developed the model discussed in this chapter over winter during
my year working on the island in 1951, showed that the population had in fact been
declining for over twenty years, and made recommendations for putting the industry
on a sound sustainable yield basis. The Falkland Islands Government implemented
these proposals from 1952, through new legislation, and the monitoring I had
recommended confirmed their validity in practice. The results all improved as
predicted until the industry ended in 1964. My predictions for increased catch per
unit of effort (and reduction in the length of season) increase in mean age of the
catch, and oil yield, were to prove remarkably accurate.
Early history.
The sealing industry began soon after Captain James Cook rediscovered South
Georgia in 1775. In the early days the beaches were worked by gangs of men in small
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