﻿88 
  ALASKA 
  FISHEEIES 
  AISTD 
  FUR 
  INDUSTEIES 
  IN 
  1914. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  1914 
  beaver 
  skins 
  were 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  

   different 
  parties. 
  The 
  claim 
  was 
  generally 
  made, 
  however, 
  that 
  such 
  

   skins 
  were 
  imported 
  from 
  Canada 
  or 
  were 
  secured 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  estab- 
  

   lishment 
  of 
  the 
  closed 
  season 
  on 
  beaver. 
  In 
  such 
  cases 
  it 
  is 
  practi- 
  

   cally 
  impossible 
  to 
  secure 
  any 
  definite 
  evidence 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  facts- 
  

  

  Sea 
  otter. 
  — 
  The 
  North 
  Pacific 
  Sealing 
  Convention 
  of 
  July 
  7, 
  1911, 
  

   prohibits 
  the 
  killing 
  of 
  sea 
  otter 
  on 
  the 
  high 
  seas 
  by 
  citizens 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States, 
  and 
  the 
  law 
  and 
  regulations 
  for 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  

   fur-bearing 
  animals 
  in 
  Alaska 
  proliibit 
  the 
  killing 
  of 
  them 
  within 
  

   the 
  territorial 
  limits 
  of 
  Alaska. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  occasional 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  taking 
  or 
  proposed 
  taking 
  of 
  

   sea 
  otters, 
  but 
  the 
  Bureau 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  secure 
  good 
  evidence 
  

   of 
  an 
  actual 
  violation 
  of 
  law. 
  

  

  On 
  March 
  10, 
  1914, 
  the 
  W. 
  J. 
  Erskine 
  Co., 
  of 
  Kodiak, 
  purchased 
  

   a 
  sea-otter 
  skin 
  of 
  Alexander 
  Lukin, 
  a 
  native 
  of 
  Afognak 
  Island. 
  

   Affidavit 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  Lukm 
  that 
  the 
  skin 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  dead 
  

   animal 
  found 
  floating 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  near 
  the 
  beach 
  at 
  Shuyak 
  Island. 
  

   The 
  skin 
  was 
  subsequently 
  shipped 
  to 
  San 
  Francisco, 
  and 
  the 
  legal 
  

   phases 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  matter 
  having 
  been 
  reviewed 
  by 
  the 
  Solicitor 
  

   for 
  the 
  Department, 
  the 
  skin 
  was 
  m«arked 
  and 
  authenticated, 
  as 
  con- 
  

   templated 
  by 
  the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  Seafmg 
  Convention, 
  by 
  a 
  representa- 
  

   tive 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau. 
  

  

  Land 
  otter. 
  — 
  Land 
  otter 
  are 
  very 
  scarce 
  in 
  the 
  interioi 
  of 
  Alaska 
  

   but 
  fairly 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  coast. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  wandering 
  habits 
  

   of 
  these 
  animals, 
  they 
  are 
  difficult 
  to 
  catch 
  and 
  so 
  are 
  not 
  seriously 
  

   affected 
  by 
  trapping. 
  

  

  In 
  southeastern 
  Alaska, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  generally, 
  they 
  are 
  

   reported 
  as 
  maintaining 
  their 
  numbers 
  well. 
  They 
  are 
  most 
  abundant 
  

   on 
  the 
  islands. 
  In 
  the 
  Prince 
  WilUam 
  Sound 
  region 
  they 
  are 
  quite 
  

   plentiful. 
  

  

  Wolves.— 
  It 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  in 
  southeastern 
  Alaska 
  wolves 
  are 
  

   on 
  the 
  increase, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  but 
  few 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  in 
  that 
  

   region 
  are 
  entirely 
  free 
  from 
  them. 
  A 
  warden 
  with 
  headquarters 
  at 
  

   Chicken, 
  m 
  the 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  Alaska 
  near 
  the 
  Klondike 
  region, 
  

   reported 
  m 
  January, 
  1915, 
  that 
  wolves 
  were 
  in 
  greater 
  abundance 
  

   thereabouts 
  than 
  ever 
  before. 
  They 
  are 
  very 
  destructive 
  to 
  deer 
  and 
  

   are 
  charged 
  with 
  the 
  destruction 
  of 
  reindeer. 
  They 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  con- 
  

   sume 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  salmon. 
  

  

  In 
  1912 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  103 
  wolf 
  pelts 
  was 
  shipped 
  from 
  Alaska, 
  163 
  in 
  

   1913, 
  and 
  44 
  in 
  1914. 
  No 
  protection 
  is 
  afforded 
  these 
  animals, 
  and 
  

   in 
  view 
  of 
  their 
  evident 
  increase 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  advisable 
  that 
  a 
  

   bounty 
  be 
  paid 
  for 
  each 
  wolf 
  killed 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  reduce 
  their 
  numbers. 
  

  

  SHIPMENTS 
  OF 
  FURS 
  FROM 
  ALASKA. 
  

  

  The 
  Department 
  requires 
  that 
  all 
  shipments 
  of 
  furs 
  from 
  Alaska 
  

   shall 
  be 
  reported 
  to 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  for 
  statistical 
  purposes. 
  

   The 
  Bureau 
  provides 
  two 
  forms 
  for 
  use 
  by 
  the 
  shippers 
  in 
  making 
  the 
  

  

  