ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES 77 
the jurisdiction of the United States and 576 by Indians of Canada. 
The details are as follows: 
Washington.—Thirty sealskins, all from female seals, were taken off 
the coast of Washington by Indians of Neah Bay and La Push during 
the months of February to May, inclusive. The skins were authenti- 
cated by N. O. Nicholson, superintendent of the Taholah Indian 
Agency at Hoquiam, Wash., and by Warden J. Steele Culbertson, 
Me a detailed to assist in the fur-seal patrol for a short time during 
pril. 
Alaska.—Thirty-one sealskins were taken by the natives of Sitka 
during April and May, and were authenticated by Bureau employees. 
Of these skins, 1 was from a male and 30 were from female seals. 
British Columbia.—Indians along the British Columbia coast took 
576 fur-seal skins in 1939, according to an official report. 
JAPANESE SEALSKINS DELIVERED TO THE UNITED STATES 
In accordance with provisions of the fur-seal treaty of 1911, there 
were allotted to the United States 210 Japanese fur-seal skins, or 10 
percent of the number taken by Japan on Robben Island in 1939. 
These skins were received by the Department’s selling agents at St. 
Louis, Mo., on May 3, 1940. 
SUBSTATION FOR SEA-OTTER PATROL 
Two wardens were employed to carry on sea-otter investigations 
and patrol at the Amchitka substation in the summer of 1939, and for 
the first time the work was continued throughout the winter. The 
men and supplies were transported by the Penguin, sailing from St. 
Paul Island on July 2 and arriving at Amchitka Island on July 10. 
Before the vessel’s departure on the return trip on July 12, the crew of 
the Penguin assisted in getting the station in readiness, the work 
performed consisting of repairs to electric wiring, rigging radio 
antennae, installing radio-telephone transmitter, and checking over 
the Diesel power plant. 
Careful surveys were made of sea otters in the vicinity of the island, 
and the number counted showed a fair increase over the preceding 
year. No evidence of poaching was observed. Special attention was 
given to verifying statements of Atka natives that many sea otters 
had been found washed up on the beach during the winter of 1938-39, 
but only 3 sea-otter skeletons were discovered, indicating that the 
mortality had not been abnormally high. 
COMPUTATION OF FUR SEALS, PRIBILOF ISLANDS, 1939 
By Harry J. CHRISTOFFERS 
The commercial killing of 3-year-old male seals at the Pribilof 
Islands in 1939 showed a considerable increase, indicating that suffi- 
cient males had been reserved in the past for breeding requirements, 
In all, 56,520 3-year-old males were killed in 1939, as compared with 
54,140 in 1938 and 54,890 in 1935. Not only was this season’s take 
the largest since the treaty of 1911, but operations were confined to a 
shorter period than in some years, commercial sealing having been 
discontinued on July 26, as against August 1 in 1938 and July 31 in 
