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  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  some 
  cross 
  foxes 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  The 
  island 
  is 
  also 
  the 
  home 
  of 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  number 
  of 
  land 
  otter. 
  

  

  Deer 
  Island 
  is 
  trapped 
  by 
  everyone 
  who 
  cares 
  to 
  go 
  there. 
  The 
  

   Russians 
  put 
  silver-grays 
  there, 
  and 
  now 
  a 
  few 
  cross 
  and 
  red 
  foxes 
  

   are 
  on 
  the 
  island, 
  with 
  very 
  rarely 
  a 
  silver. 
  On 
  Ukolnoi 
  Island 
  there 
  

   are 
  a 
  few 
  red 
  foxes 
  and 
  land 
  otter. 
  No 
  one 
  claims 
  title 
  to 
  the 
  furs, 
  

   and 
  the 
  animals 
  are 
  trapped 
  by 
  anyone 
  who 
  cares 
  to 
  go 
  after 
  them. 
  

   On 
  Tigalda 
  Island, 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  Unimak 
  Pass, 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  silver 
  

   gray 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  cross 
  foxes 
  ; 
  also 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  on 
  Akun 
  and 
  Akutan 
  

   Islands. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  natives 
  from 
  Belkofsky 
  have 
  stocked 
  the 
  lUasik 
  

   Islands, 
  opposite 
  that 
  town, 
  with 
  red 
  foxes, 
  where 
  there 
  were 
  none 
  

   before, 
  and 
  now 
  claim 
  all 
  the 
  furs 
  of 
  those 
  islands. 
  There 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  

   be 
  no 
  other 
  fur 
  animals 
  on 
  the 
  Ihasik 
  Islands, 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  everyone 
  

   has 
  respected 
  the 
  claims 
  of 
  the 
  natives 
  to 
  the 
  stock 
  placed 
  there. 
  

  

  FUR-BEARING 
  ANIMALS 
  OF 
  THE 
  AFOGNAK-KODIAK 
  REGION. 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  of 
  fur 
  animals 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  are 
  the 
  sea 
  otter, 
  land 
  otter, 
  

   fur 
  seal, 
  silver-gray 
  fox, 
  cross 
  fox, 
  red 
  fox, 
  creole 
  fox, 
  ermine, 
  and 
  

   brown 
  bear. 
  

  

  Sea 
  otter. 
  — 
  This 
  valuable 
  and 
  interesting 
  animal 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  distributed 
  throughout 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Afognak-Kodiak 
  

   region, 
  but 
  is 
  now 
  very 
  scarce. 
  Formerly 
  it 
  was 
  quite 
  abundant, 
  and 
  

   large 
  catches 
  were 
  made, 
  particularly 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  in 
  the 
  \dcinity 
  

   of 
  the 
  Sannak 
  and 
  Shumagin 
  Islands. 
  The 
  fabulou 
  ly 
  high 
  prices 
  

   which 
  the 
  skins 
  command 
  have 
  caused 
  the 
  sea 
  otter 
  to 
  be 
  hunted 
  

   most 
  relentlessly, 
  until 
  the 
  species 
  has 
  nearly 
  reached 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  

   commercial 
  extinction. 
  

  

  Realizing 
  the 
  danger 
  of 
  actual 
  extermination, 
  the 
  Department, 
  in 
  

   1910, 
  estabhshed 
  a 
  close 
  period 
  for 
  the 
  sea 
  otter 
  untU 
  November 
  1, 
  

   1920. 
  This 
  prohibition, 
  however, 
  applied 
  onl}^ 
  to 
  Territorial 
  waters, 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  having 
  no 
  jurisdiction 
  beyond 
  the 
  S-miLe 
  hmit. 
  

   On 
  the 
  high 
  seas 
  the 
  sea 
  otter 
  had 
  no 
  protection. 
  Citizens 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  could 
  hunt 
  it 
  anywhere 
  outside 
  the 
  3-mile 
  li 
  mi 
  t. 
  So 
  

   could 
  the 
  citizens 
  of 
  British 
  Columbia, 
  Japan, 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  country; 
  

   and 
  many 
  did 
  so, 
  particularly 
  the 
  Japanese. 
  

  

  Fortunately, 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  treaty 
  of 
  July 
  7, 
  1911, 
  signed 
  by 
  the 
  

   United 
  States, 
  Great 
  Britain, 
  Japan, 
  and 
  Russia, 
  contains 
  a 
  clause 
  

   making 
  it 
  unlawful 
  for 
  the 
  subjects 
  of 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  nations 
  signatory 
  

   to 
  the 
  treaty 
  to 
  "kill, 
  capture, 
  or 
  pursue 
  beyond 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  3 
  

   miles 
  from 
  the 
  shore 
  line 
  of 
  its 
  territories 
  sea 
  otters 
  in 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  waters 
  mentioned," 
  that 
  is, 
  "in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  

   Ocean 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  thirtieth 
  parallel 
  of 
  north 
  latitude, 
  and 
  including 
  

   the 
  Seas 
  of 
  Bering, 
  Kamchatka, 
  Okhotsk, 
  and 
  Japan." 
  This 
  treaty 
  

   is 
  now 
  in 
  force, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  therefore 
  unlawful 
  to 
  kiU, 
  capture, 
  or 
  pursue 
  

  

  