Jxine and early July both sexes resort to favorite wave-beaten rocks and 

 islets. Here the male holds a harem of 10 to 20 females. The cow bears 

 a single pup and is bred before returning to the sea to feed. The pup lives 

 on mother's milk for at least 3 months and even at the age of 1 year some 

 young may be seen with their mothers. The pup does not take to the water 

 for several weeks after birth, although, like the fur seal pup, it is able to 

 swim weakly from the moment it is born. If frightened from their rookery, 

 frantic mothers may carry their newly born pups into the water with them. 

 Here the pup may drown if the water is rough and it is unable to reach 

 shore within a few minutes. 



Feeding habits 



Few Steller sea-lion stomachs have been analyzed. Many more are 

 needed for evidence of the year-round diet. During salmon and herring 

 r\ms, sea-lions gather in straits, estuaries, and at river mouths appar- 

 ently to feed on these fishes. Casual observations, however, may be mis- 

 leading. The stomach of a sea-lion killed near the mouth of the Klamath 

 River dviring a salmon rxm contained no salmon, but was packed with 

 lampreys, parasitic fish which prey extensively on salmon. Other sea- 

 lions, killed in and near fish traps, contained salmon. Yet, during much 

 of the year, sea-lions feed where there are no concentrations of commer- 

 cially valuable fish. The contents of approximately 50 stomachs contain- 

 ing food revealed a diet of squid, sand lances, pollack, flounders, sculpin, 

 cod, herring, small sharks, skates, perch, and various other scrap fishes; 

 with small amounts of salmon, halibut, and sablefish. 



Vigorous statements of the damage inflicted by sea-lions to fishing 

 are often expressed. No doubt exists that in certain areas sea-lions inter- 

 fere materially with fishing activities. However, before any publicly 

 financed control measiures are justified, accxirate, specific knowledge of 

 the feeding habits of this sea-lion and the amovmt of damage done by it 

 should be available. Evidence in the form of stomachs, records of dam- 

 age to gear and fish, the exact location, date, and number of sea-lions 

 involved in the damage should be presented to local fishery agencies. In 

 order to be effective, a control program must be carried on persistently 

 over a period of years and be concentrated where damage to fishing 

 occurs. 



Evidence presented by fishermen indicates that sea-lions often 

 descend to depths of 60 to 80 fathoms and may rarely reach a depth of 100 

 fathoms (600 feet) in search of food. 



12 



