﻿EEPOET 
  OF 
  THE 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISHEEIES. 
  73 
  

  

  persons 
  who 
  may 
  engage 
  in 
  breeding 
  and 
  raising 
  those 
  animals 
  in 
  

   that 
  Territory. 
  

  

  The 
  revised 
  regulations 
  also 
  require 
  that 
  all 
  persons 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   Alaska 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  breeding 
  and 
  raising 
  fur-bearing 
  animals 
  in 
  

   captivity 
  shall 
  first 
  obtain 
  from 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Commerce 
  a 
  license 
  

   for 
  that 
  purpose. 
  Permits 
  will 
  be 
  issued 
  to 
  the 
  owners 
  and 
  operators 
  

   of 
  such 
  licensed 
  fur 
  farms 
  or 
  ranches 
  in 
  Alaska 
  authorizing 
  them 
  to 
  

   ship 
  their 
  ranch-bred 
  stock 
  from 
  the 
  Territory 
  of 
  iMaska. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  injury 
  done 
  to 
  the 
  animals 
  on 
  the 
  Afognak 
  Reserva- 
  

   tion 
  by 
  the 
  eruption 
  of 
  Mount 
  Katmai, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  decided 
  to 
  estab- 
  

   lish 
  an 
  absolute 
  close 
  season 
  for 
  foxes 
  and 
  land 
  otters 
  for 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  

   years. 
  Under 
  the 
  terms 
  of 
  Department 
  Circular 
  No. 
  2.52, 
  issued 
  

   October 
  29, 
  1913, 
  the 
  pursuit, 
  capture, 
  or 
  kilhng 
  of 
  foxes 
  within 
  the 
  

   reservation 
  is 
  prohibited 
  until 
  November 
  16, 
  1918, 
  and 
  of 
  land 
  otters 
  

   until 
  November 
  16, 
  1915. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  fiscal 
  year 
  formal 
  permits 
  relative 
  to 
  fur-bearing 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  were 
  issued 
  as 
  follows: 
  (a) 
  three 
  permits 
  authorizing 
  the 
  ship- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  black 
  bears 
  from 
  Alaska; 
  (b) 
  one 
  permit 
  authorizing 
  the 
  

   shipment 
  of 
  lynx 
  from 
  Alaska; 
  (c) 
  two 
  permits 
  authorizing 
  the 
  ship- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  marten 
  from 
  Alaska; 
  (d) 
  one 
  pennit 
  authorizing 
  the 
  collect- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  specimens 
  for 
  ^he 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  Comparative 
  Zoology, 
  

   Cambridge, 
  Mass.; 
  (O 
  31 
  permits 
  authorizing 
  the 
  shipment 
  of 
  ranch- 
  

   bred 
  foxes 
  from 
  Alaska, 
  the 
  permits 
  being 
  issued 
  to 
  16 
  different 
  

   parties 
  and 
  covering 
  910 
  foxes; 
  and 
  (f) 
  one 
  permit 
  authorizing 
  the 
  

   shipment 
  of 
  silver-gray 
  foxes 
  from 
  Alasl^a 
  (source 
  of 
  foxes 
  not 
  stated). 
  

  

  Twelve 
  islands 
  lying 
  off 
  the 
  Alaskan 
  coast 
  have 
  been 
  offered 
  for 
  

   lease, 
  for 
  fox-breeding 
  purposes, 
  for 
  periods 
  of 
  five 
  years, 
  in 
  accord- 
  

   ance 
  with 
  law 
  and 
  pursuant 
  to 
  Executive 
  Order 
  dated 
  February 
  2, 
  

   1904. 
  In 
  response 
  to 
  a 
  circular 
  announcement 
  issued 
  in 
  1913, 
  bids 
  

   for 
  Little 
  Koniuji 
  Island 
  and 
  Carlson 
  Island, 
  at 
  $205 
  and 
  $200 
  per 
  

   annum, 
  were 
  received 
  and 
  accepted. 
  A 
  second 
  circular 
  announce- 
  

   ment 
  dated 
  January 
  1, 
  1914, 
  inviting 
  proposals 
  for 
  leasing 
  the 
  re- 
  

   maining 
  10 
  islands, 
  fesv.lte.l 
  in 
  bids 
  for 
  3 
  islands 
  at 
  $200, 
  $205, 
  and 
  

   $250 
  per 
  annum 
  wdiicli 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  approved. 
  The 
  offer 
  of 
  the 
  

   Department 
  to 
  supply 
  blue 
  foxes 
  for 
  breeding 
  pin-poses 
  from 
  the 
  herds 
  

   on 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands 
  eUcited 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  competitive 
  bids, 
  the 
  high- 
  

   est 
  being 
  $151 
  apiece 
  for 
  selected 
  animals. 
  Some 
  dehveries 
  have 
  been 
  

   made, 
  but 
  the 
  plan 
  presents 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  .difficulties 
  connected 
  with 
  

   the 
  shipment 
  of 
  the 
  foxes 
  from 
  the 
  islands 
  and 
  the 
  care 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  

   transit. 
  

  

  A 
  hinited 
  number 
  of 
  blue 
  foxes 
  were 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  Government 
  

   herds 
  on 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands 
  in 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1912-13, 
  and 
  their 
  pelts 
  

   sliipped 
  to 
  St. 
  Louis 
  and 
  sold 
  at 
  public 
  auction. 
  The 
  skins 
  numbered 
  

   436, 
  and 
  brought 
  $17,532. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  general 
  law 
  for 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  fur-bearing 
  animals 
  

   in 
  Alaska 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  quite 
  inadeouate 
  in 
  many 
  respects 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose 
  for 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  intended. 
  This 
  law 
  forbids 
  only 
  the 
  actual 
  

   kiUing 
  of 
  those 
  animals 
  and 
  does 
  not 
  clearly 
  empower 
  the 
  Govern- 
  

   ment 
  to 
  take 
  certain 
  steps 
  necessary 
  to 
  check 
  operations 
  of 
  various 
  

   Idnds 
  ({uite 
  as 
  detrmiental 
  to 
  the 
  conservation 
  of 
  those 
  animals 
  as 
  

   the 
  actual 
  kilhng 
  would 
  be. 
  The 
  Government 
  should 
  bo 
  specifically 
  

   empowered 
  to 
  regulate 
  the 
  capturing 
  of 
  fur-bearing 
  animals 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   prevent 
  the 
  needless 
  destruction 
  of 
  burrows, 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  taldng 
  

   of 
  fox 
  pups 
  by 
  irresponsible 
  parties 
  under 
  circumstances 
  wliich 
  inev- 
  

  

  