152 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



FOX TRAPPING SEASON OP 1924-25 



The season's take of fox pelts on St. Paul and St. George Islands 

 consisted of 681 blue and 28 white pelts, a total of 709. 



On St. Paul Island the regular trapping season began December 17 

 and ended December 24, 1924. In this period 81 blue and 10 white 



f>elts were secured. In an effort to eliminate the strain of white 

 oxes from the St. Paul Island herd 16 white foxes were killed during 

 January, February, and March, 1925, thereby bringing the take on 

 this island in the season to 81 blue and 26 white pelts, a total of 107. 

 There were marked and released on this island for breeding purposes 

 167 blue foxes, 103 males and 64 females. 



On St. George Island the killing of foxes began on December 5, 

 1924, and was continued until February 27, 1925. Six hundred 

 blue and two white pelts were taken, a total of 602. During the 

 season 541 blue foxes (272 males and 269 females) were marked and 

 released for breeding purposes. 



REINDEER 



The reindeer herds on the Pribilof Islands provide a valuable 

 source of fresh meat for both white and native residents. Con- 

 sideration is being given to the feasibility of introducing new blood 

 into the herds for the reason that, due to inbreeding, they have not 

 done as well as anticipated since their introduction in 1911. 



By the end of 1924 the St. Paul Island herd numbered approxi- 

 mately 200 animals and that of St. George Island approximately 

 150 animals. During the year 13 reindeer were killed for food on 

 St. Paul Island and 18 on St. George Island. 



FUR-SEAL SKINS 

 SHIPMENTS 



In the calendar year 1924 two shipments of fur-seal skins, aggre- 

 gating 18,713 commercial skins, were made from the Pribilof Islands. 

 On June 5 there were placed aboard the U. S. S. Gold Star at St. Paul 

 Island 28 barrels containing 1,121 sealskins, representing the balance 

 left on that island from the take of the calendar year 1923. On 

 June 11 there were shipped from St. George Island on the same ves- 

 sel 18 barrels containing 760 sealskins, the balance left on that island 

 from the take of the calendar year 1923. These 1,881 sealskins were 

 delivered at Bremerton, Wash., on July 28, and were shipped from 

 there by freight on August 2, consigned to the Fouke Fur Co., St. 

 Louis, Mo., arriving there on August 12. Shipment was made via 

 the Puget Sound Navigation Co., Great Northern, and Chicago, Bur- 

 lington & Quincy. 



Seventy-eight barrels of sealskins were shipped from St. Paul 

 Island on September 19 and 75 barrels on September 30, the two lots 

 containing a total of 13,202 skins, and on the 15th of September 69 

 barrels containing 3,630 sealskins were shipped from St. George 

 Island, all taken m the calendar year 1924. The skins were trans- 

 ported on the Eider and the Coast Guard cutter Haida to Unalaska, 



