90 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FIJE INDUSTRIES IN 1919, 



white foxes from the St. George herd. On St. Paul Ishind the pro- 

 portion of white foxes taken each year is very much larger. Further- 

 more, the releasing of animals as breeders insures that at least a 

 minimum number has been reserved. When foxes are taken solely 

 in traps, as on St. Paul, the maintenance of an adequate breeding 

 stock must depend largely upon the judgment of the officer in charge. 

 ^Yhether it will be possible in time to follow profitably on St. Paul 

 the methods employed on St. George is a problem for future solution. 



TRAPPING SEASON OP 1919-20. 



In the trapping season of 1919-20 there were taken on St. Paul 

 Island 155 blue-fox pelts and 32 white-fox pelts, a total of 187; on 

 St. George Island, 746 blue-fox pelts and 4 white-fox pelts, a total of 

 750 pelts. One additional white pelt was secured at St. I^aul from 

 a fox found dead in March, 1920. These figures show for both 

 islands a take of 901 blue pelts and 37 white pelts, or a total of 938 

 pelts. The aggregate take was considerably larger than that for 

 the preceding season, when 144 were taken on St. Paul and 553 on 

 St. George, a total of 697. The take on St. George in the season of 

 1919-20 was the largest in many years. 



On St. Paul trapping operations were carried on for about one 

 week. Traps were set out December 2 and taken up the night of 

 December 9. 



The following extract is from a report submitted by Agent Proctor: 



During the season of 1919-20 fox trapping was prosecuted under rather unusual 

 w ather conditions. The temperature was well above the freezing point, the ground 

 was entirely free from snow, and light rains fell at intervals. This weather had been 

 preceded by lower temperatures that had continued since well back into November, 

 and it was therefore beHeved that the skins would be in prime condition. 



In order that the fox runs would be well defined, the effort has heretofore been on 

 this island to so time the trapping season as to get a period of clear weather, with the 

 ground covered with a light layer of snow. Trips in the vicinity of the village made 

 by the writer and re])orts from the more remote places by the natives showed that 

 not%v'ithstanding the absence of snow the fox runs were well defined in the soft ground 

 and dead grass. Under the circumstances it was considered better to make a start 

 under the conditions stated than to take a chance of encountering heavy winds with 

 drifting snow at a later date. 



Following the practice that has always obtained on this island, foxes were trapped 

 in ordinary steel traps placed in the various runways and at other favorable points. 

 The traps were secured to the ground by means of a chain and an iron stake driven 

 into the soil. The traps and chains were then covered with grass and other suitable 

 material to conceal them. 



All the able-l)odied workmen, with the exception of the native priest, were engaged 

 in trajiping, and each individual was supplied with as many traps as he was able to 

 look after i)roperly. In all, 42 men were engaged in trapping and an aggregate of 411 

 traps were employed by them. 



In determining the length of the trapping period, the length of the immediately 

 preceding seasons and the size of the catch were taken into consideration, it being 

 thought that if the catch during the first few days of the ])resent season had been 

 noticeably large the season could be prolonged safely. A large catch would have 

 been acfe]>ted as an indication that a greater number of young foxes had 1)een brought 

 to maturity this year than during the past years. Th(; catch this season, hoAvever, 

 during the first few days did not give this assurance, and the scsason was therefore 

 confined to the seven actual trapping days originally determined upon. The trai)s 

 were placed out in the late evening of December 2 and were taken up during the 

 night of December 9, allowing seven full days for trapping operations. 



'I he total numl)er of skins secured during this period was 187 for a seven-day season, 

 as a'jainst 144 skins secured in a five-day season in the; preceding year. The; average 

 catch durintr the season of 1918 was 29 skins per day, with 39 men and 320 traps. The 

 a»-era"e number of skins taken daily during the present season by 42 men, with 411 



