ALASKA FISHERY AND FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES, 19 3 3 291 



FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY 



PRIBILOF ISLANDS 

 GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE WORK 



Sealin<2; activities at the Pribilof Islands in 1933 resulted in the 

 takino; of 54.550 skins, of which 44,448 were obtained on St. Paul 

 Island and 10.102 on St. George Island. On St. Paul Island 35,746 

 sealskins were blubbered in the course of curing operations. Three- 

 year-old males constitute the class of animals from which the bulk 

 of the killings were made, a sufficient number being reserved to 

 maintain the breeding quota in subsequent years. 



Incidental to the sealing activities were the care of the natives 

 living on the ishinds as wards of the Government, the upkeep and 

 improvement of the villages and of the central plants for curing 

 and packing sealskins, the construction of roads to facilitate delivery 

 of skins from the rookeries to the plants, and the utilization and 

 care of foxes and reindeer, which occupy positions of importance in 

 the econonnc development of the islands. 



Transportation of the annual shipment of supplies to the Pribilof s 

 and of sealskins to Seattle was accomplished through the coopera- 

 tion of the Navy Department in the detail of the U.S.S. Vega for 

 this work. Additional transportation of incoming and outgoing 

 passengers and freight was furnished by the Bureau's motor vessel 

 Penyuln on several voyages to and from Seattle. 



A regular patrol of the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea dur- 

 ing the migration of the seals and their sojourn in these waters was 

 maintained by vessels of the United States Coast Guard. Other 

 services also were rendered by these vessels in connection with the 

 Bureau's work at the Pribilof Islands. 



For the first time since the treaty of July 7, 1911, for the preserva- 

 tion of fur seals in the North Pacific Ocean became effective. Great 

 Britain in 1933 elected to take delivery of its share of the sealskins 

 taken on the Pribilof Islands. Accordingly, these skins were de- 

 livered to a representative of the Canadian Government at Seattle 

 in August. Heretofore that Government has accepted 15 percent 

 of the net proceeds of sale in lieu of a share of the skins. 



Two public auction sales of sealskins were held at St. Louis, Mo. in 

 1933. All the skins sold had been taken in prior years, and 15 per- 

 cent of the net proceeds was paid to each of the Governments of the 

 Dominion of Canada and of Japan, as provided by law. In Decem- 

 ber the United States received from Japan 170 sealskins as its share 

 of the killings from the Japanese seal herd on Robben Island in 

 1933. 



TRANSPORTATION OF SUPPLIES 



On July 24 the U.S.S. Vega sailed from Seattle. Wash., for the 

 Pribilof Islands with 1,0G9 tons of general supplies, 1,304 tons of 

 coal, 139,30G board feet of lumber, and 110 bundles of shingles. 

 The vessel arrived at the islands on August 1, and the discharge 

 of cargo and the loading of the seasons take of sealskins were 

 completed in 10 days. In addition to 54,550 fur-seal skins, the 



