FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND ALASKA PENINSULA 285 



occupation of the Pribilofs. Veniaminof , speaking of the Pribilof s, 

 stated that the animals became scarce in 1811, and that they 

 were extinct 30 years later (Preble and McAtee 1923). 



In the Aleutian district, the Russians found a rich harvest of 

 sea otter furs and exploited it vigorously. Without citing the 

 voluminous statistics on the shiploads of furs sent back to Rus- 

 sia, let it suffice to say that the sea otter population could not 

 stand up under the continued excessive harvest. History tells 

 us that the Russians, sensing the end of a lucrative industry, at- 

 tempted to regulate the killing of sea otters. But a new compli- 

 cation had entered the picture. Trading ships from the south 

 had discovered this great fur resource— Americans, French, and 

 others. Although the Russians could impose regulations on their 

 own people, they found it hard to deal with this new foreign in- 

 flux. The sea otters continued to decline in numbers and probably 

 reached their low point shortly after 1900. When almost all were 

 destroyed, protection was finally granted. 



For years, the few remaining sea otters found a refuge in the 

 Aleutians. Their status was hidden in the fog and mystery of 

 this seldom-visited island chain, and for years naturalists feared 

 that this animal species had disappeared from American fauna. 



But, as mentioned above, complete protection had finally be- 

 come a reality, and it soon became evident that the animal had 

 survived in sufficient numbers to perpetuate itself. In spite of 

 occasional poaching, in 1936 we found substantial sea otter popu- 

 lations in several places throughout the Aleutian chain, and we 

 made a conservative estimate of at least 2,000. Most heartening 

 of all, they were extending their range, not only in the Aleutians, 

 but also along Alaska Peninsula. However, on our last visit to 

 Sanak Islands the sea otters had not reappeared, although at one 

 time this area was one of the best sea otter hunting territories 

 (since our visit, five sea otters have been seen). 



The range of the sea otter raises a puzzling point. There 

 seems to be a difference of opinion as to the distance that the sea 

 otter will venture from land. It is generally believed, and observa- 

 tions bear this out, that sea otters normally will live close to 

 shore where they find their food in comparatively shallow water. 

 Yet, there are reports of sea otters being seen far out at sea. 

 On our expeditions, we never saw any of these animals far from 

 land. However, at one time sea otters were numerous in the 

 Pribilof Islands, and they must have made a long sea journey to 

 reach these islands. After World War II, it was found that sea 

 otters had increased still more and had extended their range. 



