64 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



British Columbia. — Indians along the British Columbia coast took 

 841 fur-seal skins in 1935. 



JAPANESE SEALSKINS DELIVERED TO THE UNITED STATES 



Under the provisions of the fur-seal treaty of 1911, there were 

 allotted to the United States 201 Japanese fur-seal skins, or 10 percent 

 of the number taken by Japan on Robben Island in 1935. These skins 

 were received by the Department's selling agents at St. Louis, Mo., 

 ■on January 2, 1936. 



FOOD OF FUR SEALS 



There have been numerous complaints in recent years from com- 

 mercial fishermen, chiefly along the British Columbia coast, that the 

 rapidly growing fur-seal herd on its annual northward migration is 

 proving a serious menace to valuable salm.on and halibut fisheries in 

 North Pacific waters. Investigation of the food habits of fur seals 

 in 1896 and 1897 indicated that neither salmon nor halibut were im- 

 portant in the diet of fur seals, but that they were eaten when avail- 

 able. These studies indicated that a species of squid, particularly 

 abundant in the North Pacific, constituted the principal food of the 

 seal. Similar studies in 1931 of seals killed off the British Columbia 

 coast show ed herring to be by far the most important item of food for 

 fur seals in those waters. 



In order to obtain additional information on this subject, 54 seal 

 stomachs were obtained from animals killed by Indians off the Wash- 

 ington coast and 59 from animals similarly killed in the vicinity of 

 Sitka, Alaska. The analysis of the stomach contents, made by 

 Franklin H. May of the Bureau of Biological Survey, shows that 

 herring comprised the bulk of the food of fur seals in these waters 

 during their northward migration. Remains of Crustacea and squid 

 were present in relatively small quantities. There was no evidence 

 that salmon or halibut had been eaten. 



Independently of this study, Canadian authorities examined 593 

 fur-seal stomachs from animals killed by Indians off the British 

 Columbia coast during the spring of 1935. Fur seals in these waters 

 also were found to have fed chiefly upon herring, that species being 

 found in 91 percent of the stomachs containing food. Salmon were 

 found in about 7 percent of the stomachs containing food, and 

 halibut was not among any of the food items. Crustacea formed an 

 important part of the diet, as did eulachon and squid. 



These studies indicate that there has been no change in the diet of 

 fur seals in recent years. The findings of the early investigators that 

 seals feed near the surface, consuming the form of animal life most 

 available, is well substantiated. It is apparent, therefore, that our 

 valuable commercial fisheries are not endangered by the continued 

 growth of the fur-seal herd at the Pribilof Islands. 



FUR SEALS FOR EXHIBITION 



Five live fur seals — three 2-year-old females, one 4-year-old male, 

 and one 5-year-old male^ — were shipped from the Pribilof Islands on 

 the U. S. S. Sirius in August 1935 for the San Diego Zoological 

 Garden. The seals were forwarded from Seattle by express and 



