REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES XVII 



The increase in the size of the seal herd in recent years makes 

 it necessary to reserve each year a considerably larger number of 

 young males for future breeding purposes than the minimum of 

 5,000 required by law. Reserves are made of 3-year-old males for 

 the reason that commercial killings of seals, aside from the small 

 number incidentally taken, are made from this class. The actual 

 reserve of 3-year-old males in 1925 was, of course, larger than the 

 number marked and released because, as is well known, not all the 

 animals in this class are taken up in the drives. 



SALES OF SEALSKINS 



In the fiscal year 1926 two public auction sales of fur-seal skins 

 taken on the Pribilof Islands were held at St. Louis, Mo. The first 

 was on September 24, 1925, when 8,298 black-dyed and 888 brown- 

 dyed skins were sold at a gross price of $335,369.50. In addition, 

 60 brown-dyed and 22 raw salted Japanese sealskins sold for $578.50 

 and one black-dyed confiscated sealskin brought $20. At the second 

 sale on May 24, 1926, 11,207 black-dyed, 3,220 brown-dyed, and 175 

 miscellaneous skins were sold for $430,748. At this time there also 

 were sold seven confiscated sealskins and one skin from a seal that 

 died at the Steinhart Aquarium. These eight skins brought a total 

 of $8. The Secretary of Commerce authorized the further sale of 

 691 sealskins, the sum realized being $21,267.63. 



The Japanese sealskins sold at the September sale were the 

 United States Government's share of skins taken by the Japanese 

 Government on Robben Island in 1923. The 94 skins that were 

 this Government's share of the 1924 take on Robben Island and 87 

 skins from the take in 1925 have been received and will be sold in 

 due time. 



FOXES 



Satisfactory progress was made in the systematic feeding of foxes 

 on both St. Paul Island and St. George Island through the winter 

 of 1925-26. The shortage of natural food on St. Paul Island during 

 the winter and the difficulties attending systematic feeding hereto- 

 fore have prevented any great development of the herd on that 

 island. 



At the public auction sale on September 24, 1925, there were 

 offered 341 blue and 28 white fox skins, these being part of the take 

 in the winter of 1924-25. The blue skins brought $16,579 and the 

 whites $1,040. The remainder of the skins taken in the winter of 

 1924-25 will be sold later. In the season of 1925-26, 725 skins were 

 secured, of which 67 blues and 19 whites came from St. Paul Island 

 and 638 blues and 1 white were taken on St. George Island. During 

 foxing operations 211 males and 155 females were marked and re- 

 leased for breeding purposes on St. Paul Island, and 216 males and 

 215 females on St. George Island. In addition to the animals 

 marked there are those never captured, which considerably increase 

 the breedinof stock. 



