ALASKA FISHERY AND P^UR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 1931 89 



cated by Raymond H. Bitney, superintendent of the Neali Bay 

 Indian Agency, Neah Bay, Wash. 



Ala.^ka. — Twenty-one skins taken by natives of Sitka were authenti- 

 cated by tlie master of the bureau's patrol vessel Widgeon. Of these 

 skins, 5 were reported to be from male seals, 14 from females, and 

 2 from imborn pups. The seals from which the skins were secured 

 were taken in waters off Biorka Island in the month of May. 



British Columbia. — An official report received by the bureau stated 

 that 1 ,463 fur-seal skins were taken by Indians off the British Colum- 

 bia coast during 1931. Of these skins, 55 were from the Queen 

 Charlotte Island area, 21 from the Grenville-Principe area, and 1,387 

 from the west coast of Vancouver Island. 



JAPANESE SEALSKINS DELIVERED TO THE UNITED STATES 



Under the terms of the North Pacific Sealing Convention of July 7, 

 1911, there were allotted to the United States 170 Japanese fur-seal 

 skins, or 10 per cent of the number taken by Japan in territory under 

 its jurisdiction in the year 1931. These skins were received by the 

 department's selling agents at St. Louis, Mo., on February 8, 1932. 



INTERNATIONAL COLONIAL EXPOSITION AT PARIS 



An appropriate display in respect to the fishery and fur-seal indus- 

 tries of Alaska was included in the American exhibits at the Inter- 

 national Colonial Exposition held at Paris from May 1 through 

 October, 1931. Among the articles assembled by the bureau were a 

 life-sized reproduction of a chinook salmon, models of salmon steaks 

 and fillets, canned salmon and clams, a mounted fur seal, several 

 dressed and dyed fur-seal skins, and two fur-seal jackets. 



COMPUTATION OF FUR SEALS, PRIBILOF ISLANDS, 1931 



By Harry J. Christoffers 



During the summer sealing season of 1931 there were killed at the 

 Pribilof Islands 47,767 3-year-old male fur seals, compared with 41,409 

 3-year-old males killed in 1930. This is an increase of slightly over 

 15 per cent — considerably more than has been regarded as the average 

 rate of increase for the herd. All of this means that the herd, and 

 consequently the take of skins, is increasing much faster than was 

 previously estimated. It does not mean that so many 3-year-olds 

 were killed that there were not enough left for breeding requirements. 

 The large number in drives on the last days of commercial killings and 

 the large number of 3-year-old males observed on hauling grounds 

 after killing and marking operations ceased on July 3 1 clearly indicate 

 that the herd is in an extremely satisfactory condition. It is not to 

 be expected that the present rate of increase of killable seals will 

 continue constant from year to year, but the average rate may be 

 kept fairly close to the present if sufficient surplus males are reserved 

 each year for breeding requirements. It is felt that an adequate 

 breeding reserve will be assured if sealing is discontinued about July 

 25 and careful observations are made throughout the season. 



In 1931 all classes of seals, especially the cows, were extremely late 

 in arriving. This condition has existed for the last several years, 

 but w^as even more pronounced this season. Up to the middle of 



