BUREAU OF FISHERIES 91 



ALASKA FUR-SEAL SERVICE 

 GENERAL ACTIVITIES 



Fur-seal operations at the Pribilof Islands were handled by the 

 staff of regular employees aided by the resident native population and 

 approximate!}' 50 natives imported from the Aleutian Islands region 

 for work during the active sealing season. 



As far as possible, killings of seals were confined to surplus 3-year- 

 old males, although limited numbers of other age groups were taken. 

 Of the season's take of skins, about 65 percent were blubbered at 

 the islands before being cured. A computation of the number of 

 animals in the herd was made at the close of the sealing season. 



Construction activities were curtailed considerably because of the 

 lack of funds, but there was some extension of improved roads 

 and continuation of work on buildings that had been begun during 

 the previous year. The East Landing wharf at St. Paul Island was 

 completed and the construction of boatways alongside was begun. 



The annual supplies for the Pribilof Islands were forwarded 

 from Seattle on the U.S.S. Sirlus, and the sealskins secured during 

 the season were transported on the return voyage. Valuable assist- 

 ance in maintaining a patrol for the protection of the fur seals 

 and in performing other services was rendered by the United States 

 Coast Guard. 



SEAL HERD 



The computed number of animals in the Pribilof Islands fur-seal 

 herd on August 10, 1932, was 1,219,961, an increase of 92,879, or 

 8.24 percent, over the corresponding figure for 1931. 



TAKE OF SEALSKINS 



In the calendar year 1932 there were taken on the Pribilof Islands 

 49,336 fur-seal skins, of which 39,490 were from St. Paul Island and 

 9,846 from St. George Island. This was a decrease of 188 from the 

 number taken in 1931. 



MARKING RESERVED SEALS 



Twelve hundred 3-year-old male seals on St. Paul Island and 

 1,809 on St. George Island, a total of 3,009, were marked and re- 

 served for future breeding stock. The reserve includes also a large 

 number of seals of this age class that were not taken in the drives. 



SALE OF SEALSKINS 



Two public auction sales of fur-seal skins taken on the Pribilof 

 Islands were held at St. Louis in the fiscal year 1933. On September 

 26, 1932, there were sold 15,521 black-dyed, 10,157 logwood brown- 

 dyed, and 801 miscellaneous unhaired and raw-salted skins for a 

 gross sum of $296,604.75. In addition, 31 confiscated sealskins, raw, 

 yielded $15.'50. 



