Shoichi Tanaka spent the period from 20 

 July to 10 August on the Pribilof Islands 

 observing fur seal research, seal killing, and 

 skin processing. Tanaka represents the Gov- 

 ernment of Japan, Tokai Regional Fisheries 

 Research Laboratory. His visit was arranged 

 under the provisions of the Interim Conven- 

 tion on Conservation of North Pacific Fur 

 Seals. 



Allison M. Craig and assistant Christopher 

 Craig were on St. Paul Island 10-31 August 

 conducting experiments on the effects of pitui- 

 tary extracts of seals on the reproductive 

 organs of captive female fur seal pups. Miss 

 Craig represents the Government of Canada 

 through the Fisheries Research Board of 

 Canada. This body supports fur seal research 

 at the University of British Columbia. 



Roger Spencer, Professor of Veterinary 

 Medicine at Washington State University, was 

 on St. Paul Island from 28 July to 10 August. 

 He assisted the staff veterinarian with studies 

 of fur seal pathology and prepared an appraisal 

 of seal mortality investigations. 



POPULATION 



Males 



Age Classification .-- The male seals killed 

 on the Pribilof Islands in 1964 are classified 

 by age in appendix tables 5, 6, 7, and 8. All 

 available males from 42 inches, tip of nose 

 to tip of tail, to those having a mane were 

 included in the kill. The mane, a secondary 

 sex characteristic composed of long silver- 



colored guard hairs on the neck, appears first 

 on some 5-year-olds. At age 6, most males 

 have a developing mane. 



Age classification of the male kill was 

 determined from a sample of 5,140 canine 

 teeth collected on St. Paul Island and from 

 1,587 collected on St. George Island. Normally, 

 10 percent of the males killed are sampled 

 for their canine teeth. The size of the tooth 

 sample, however, is increased when the num- 

 ber of seals killed on a rookery from one 

 drive is below certain levels. The following 

 sampling schedule is used: 10 percent of a 

 kill of 300 or more; 20 percent of 100 to 300; 

 and 30 percent or more of 100 or fewer 

 animals. 



The minimum length limit of 42 inches was 

 removed for 8 days beginning 17 July so that 

 all available 2-year-old males could be taken. 

 Though only a small proportion of this age 

 class is on land in late July a complete kill of 

 those that are available may provide informa- 

 tion useful for forecasting the size of the 

 3-year-old kill the following year. Twenty 

 percent of all the males killed were sampled 

 for age and body length during the 8-day 

 period. 



The peak of the kill occurred during round 

 7 (27-31 July) when 6,550 males were taken 

 on St. Paul Island (fig. 1). The percent cumu- 

 lative kill, by date, age, and island is shown 

 in figure 2. 



Table 1 shows the kill of male seals by 

 year class for the years 1947-62. Tables 2 

 and 3 illustrate the kill of 3- and 4-year-old 

 male seals at various dates for 1954-64, and 

 the cumulative numbers of males killed each 

 year from 1955 to 1964, St. Paul Island. 



_l 

 < 

 ui 



04 



Q 



< 



3 2 



I 



J_ 



-*— 3-YEAR-OLD MALES 

 4-YEAR-OLD MALES 



_L 



_L 



J_ 



_L 



2 3 



Figure 1.— Kill of male seals, by age and round, St. Paul Island, 1964. 



4 5 6 



ROUND NUMBERS 



