140 



U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



Summary of all Government-owned fur-seal skins under control of Department of 

 Commerce, calendar year 1937 



SHIPMENT AND SALE OF FOXSKINS 



The 97 blue and 9 white foxskins taken on St. Paul Island and the 

 902 blue and 4 white foxskins taken on St. George Island in the season 

 of 1936-37 were shipped from the islands on the Penguin, sailing on 

 February 27. The vessel reached Seattle on March 20, and the fox- 

 skins were forwarded by express to the Department's selling agents 

 at St. Louis, Mo. 



At the public auction sale in St. Louis on April 19, 1937, 510 blue 

 foxskins of the 1935-36 season's take were sold for $15,084.50, an 

 average of $29.58 per skin. The maximum price was $89, obtained for 

 each of a lot of six No. 1 silvery pelts. 



On September 27, 1937, there were sold at public auction, at 

 St. Louis, 499 blue and 11 white foxskins taken on the Pribilof Islands 

 in the 1936-37 season. The blue pelts brought $13,511, an average of 

 $27.08 each; and the white pelts brought $131, an average of $11.91 

 each. The maxiinum price was $84, obtained for each of two No. 2 

 extra light pelts. 



SEA-OTTER SKINS 



Twelve sea-otter skins that had been forfeited to the Government in 

 1936 were sold at public auction on April 19, 1937, by the Department's 

 selling agents at St. Louis, Mo. 



Four sea-otter pup skins were sold for $8, and three other smaU 

 skins for $60; the remaining five brought $865, the price ranging from 

 $60 to $410 per skin. The total sales of sea-otter skins amounted 

 to $933. 



FUR-SEAL PATROL 



UNITED STATES COAST GUARD 



As in previous years, vessels of the Coast Guard were assigned by 

 the Secretary of the Treasury to patrol the waters of the North Pacific 

 Ocean and Bering Sea for the protection of fur seals and sea otters 

 which have their breeding grounds in Alaskan territory. 



