88 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



$17.92 per skin. The maximum price per skin was $86, obtained for a. 

 single blue pelt. 



SEA-OTTER SKINS 



Two sea-otter skins were sold at public auction at St. Louis, Mo., 

 on October 19, 1931, for Government account. These skins were 

 reported to have been taken from animals found dead — one on the 

 beach near Perryville, Alaska, and one at Nakalilok Bay — and had 

 been surrendered to bureau employees in August, 1930, and July, 1931, 

 respectively. Wlien sold one of the skins brought $60 and one $370, a . 

 total of $430. 



FUR-SEAL PATROL 



UNITED STATES COAST GUARD 



A patrol for the protection of the fur seals of the North Pacific was 

 again maintained by the U. S. Coast Guard, which assigned six cut- 

 ters and a 125-foot patrol boat to participate in this work. 



Beginning April 5 the Snohomish patrolled from the mouth of the 

 Columbia River to Dixon Entrance until the fur-seal herd had passed. 

 The Tallapoosa covered the area between Dixon Entrance and Kodiak 

 Island from April 15 to 30 and between Kodiak Island and Unalaska 

 from May 1 to 15, patrolling thereafter in the Bering Sea region.. 

 The Shoshone and the 125-foot patrol boat sailed from San Francisco 

 about the middle of April for Unalaska, where the former was based 

 until July and the latter until the close of the season. The Itasca and 

 Chelan also engaged in the fur-seal patrol in Bering Sea during the 

 latter part of the season. On its annual cruise from San Francisco to 

 the Arctic Ocean the Northland patrolled waters frequented by the fur 

 seals. The season's patrol extended as far westward as Attn, the 

 westernmost island of the Aleutian chain, and was prosecuted in each 

 locality as long as the circumstances required. 



BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



From March 26 to the end of May the Brant patrolled the waters in 

 the vicinity of Cape Flattery. With the concurrence of the Bureau of 

 Indian Affairs a representative of the Bureau of Fisheries was on duty 

 at La Push to enforce compliance with the regidations prohibiting the 

 use of firearms and motor boats in the taking of fur-seal skins by the 

 Indians. The Widgeon was engaged in seal patrol in the vicinity of 

 Sitka in April and May. 



SEALING PRIVILEGES ACCORDED ABORIGINES 



Under the provisions of the North Pacific Sealing Convention of 

 July 7, 1911, Indians and other aborigines dwelling on the coasts of 

 the waters designated by the convention may take fur-seal skins under 

 limited conditions. In 1931 there were taken and duly authenticated 

 by officials of the respective Governments 1,649 fur-seal skins, of wliich 

 186 were taken by Indians under the jurisdiction of the United States- 

 and 1,463 by Indians of Canada. The details are as follows: 



Washington. — A total of 165 skins taken by the Indians of Wasliing- 

 ton were authenticated. Of these, 24 were from male seals and 141 

 from females. The skins were taken by Indians of La Push and Neah 

 Bay in the months from April to June, inclusive, and were authenti- 



