8 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1915. 
The general law for the protection of fur-bearing animals, ap- 
proved April 21, 1910, places the duty of the enforcement of its pro- 
visions upon the Department of Commerce. The law itself forbids 
the killing of any fur-bearing animal in Alaska but authorizes the 
Secretary of Commerce to establish by regulation open seasons for 
the various animals. Fur seals and sea otters, while included within 
the scope of this general law, are also made the subjects of special 
legislation. The enforcement of the law and the regulations for the 
protection of the fur-bearing animals in Alaska by the department, 
aside from the Pribilof Islands, rests largely upon the wardens em- 
ployed under the immediate direction of the Bureau of Fisheries. In 
addition to their other duties the wardens collect information in 
regard to the abundance, distribution, and natural history of the 
various fur-bearing animals. Attention is also given to the opera- 
tions of fur farms, and information in regard to this industry is col- 
lected whenever possible. Statistics in regard to the shipment of 
furs from Alaska are secured by a system of reports made direct to 
the Bureau of Fisheries, which are as far as practicable checked with 
the records of the collector of customs at Juneau. 
