FUR-SEAL CENSUS, PRIBILOF ISLANDS, 1924 



By Edward C. Johnston 



In 1924 the annual count of fur-seal harems was made from 

 July 15 to 17 on St. Paul Island and on July 22 and 23 on St. George 

 Island, weather conditions preventing an earlier count. On St. 

 George Island pups were actually counted on East Reef on July 28 

 and on Zapadni and South rookeries on July 29, and estimates were 

 made of the pups present on all other rookeries. On St. Paul Island 

 actual counts of pups were made as follows: Lagoon and Zapadni 

 Reef rookeries on July 31, Polovina and Polovina Cliffs rookeries on 

 August 1, and Morjovi rookery on August 2, while the pups on the 

 remaining rookeries were estimated. 



Superintendent Christoffers and Dr. H. L. Van Volkenberg aided 

 in the pup count on St. Paul Island, and all possible assistance was 

 given by Agent and Caretaker Hungerford. Storekeeper Culbertson 

 participated in the count on St. George Island. 



The taking of the seal census was made possible by the cooperation 

 of the Coast Guard Service in transporting the enumerator from one 

 island to the other. Three trips were made on the Coast Guard 

 cutter Mojave and one on the cutter Algonquin. 



PUPS 



The pup count was made on the rookeries that were counted in 

 the years 1917 to 1921, inclusive. These rookeries can be counted 

 with greater accuracy than the others and are fairly representative 

 of all the rookeries. The method for estimating the total number 

 of pups has been to determine the average harem in which the pups 

 have been counted and apply the figure obtained to the other 

 rookeries, making allowance for considerable variation due to the 

 character of the harem areas. The complete pup count of 1922 

 showed that the estimates based upon the above method were con- 

 servative. 



The outstanding fact brought to light by the count was that pups 

 had greatly increased on St. George Island and the rookeries on the 

 southwest side of St. Paul Island, while on the north and east sides 

 of St. Paul Island they had decreased. This may have been caused 

 by the drift ice, which remained around St. Paul Island very late in 

 the spring and compelled many seals to haul out as far south as 

 possible on account of the low ternperature of the water. 



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