FUR-SEAL CENSUS, PRIBILOF ISLANDS, 1922. 



By Edwakd C. Johnston. 



The annual census of the fur-seal herd resorting to the Pribilof 

 Islands in 1922 was taken at the height of the season. The harem 

 count was made on St. Paul Island first; the count of pups on St. 

 George Island first. Only one round trip between the islands was 

 necessary. The pups were counted on all rookeries on both islands 

 for the first time since 1916. 



J. M. Orchard, school-teacher on St. George Island, assisted in the 

 pup count on both islands. H. A. Peterson, sealing assistant on St. 

 Paul Island, aided in the pup count at Northeast Point on St. Paul 

 Island. The superintendent and the agents of both islands coop- 

 erated in providing assistance for the erection of the counting towers 

 and in assigning to the census work the most intelligent natives. On 

 St. Paul Island all but one of the native assistants were taken from 

 the temporary employees, both because of their better understanding 

 of English and their willingness, due to comparative ignorance of 

 seal life, to obey orders. The fisheries vessel Eider furnished trans- 

 portation between St. Paul and St. George Islands. 



In 1917 the rookery areas were plotted upon the series of rookery 

 charts. In 1922, in conjunction with the harem count, the rookery 

 areas were again charted. A new series of photographs of the rook- 

 eries was made also, using the same stations as in 1917. 



In addition to the two counting towers already in position on 

 Reef rookery nine new ones were erected in the spring of 1922 — two 

 on Little Zapadni rookery, three on Zapadni rookery, and three on 

 Vostochni rookery, all on St. Paul Island, and one on Staraya Artil 

 rookery on St. George Island. Wooden markers were placed on 

 various rookeries where they would be of service in the harem count. 

 Construction of the towers and the placing of the markers were com- 

 pleted before the seals arrived. 



PUPS. 



Since 1916, when the last complete pup count was made, the total 

 number of pups and of cows (by inference) had been estimated 

 from actual counts made upon a few rookeries only. Due to the great 

 yearly variation in the number of seals present on any one rookery, 

 it would be possible for the herd, as a whole, to increase, while the 

 number of seals upon the rookeries where pups were counted de- 

 creased. The estimate of pups on the uncounted rookeries had been 

 based partly upon the average harem of all counted rookeries and 

 partly upon field o}j^:orvations extending over a number cf years. 

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