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  ALASKA 
  FISHERIES 
  AND 
  EUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  was 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  theory 
  or 
  belief 
  that 
  by 
  killing 
  the 
  poorer 
  foxes 
  

   and 
  reserving 
  the 
  better 
  conditioned 
  ones 
  as 
  breeders 
  a 
  superior 
  

   strain 
  or 
  breed 
  of 
  foxes 
  could 
  be 
  developed. 
  Proceeding 
  on 
  this 
  

   assumption, 
  those 
  to 
  be 
  reserved 
  as 
  breeders 
  were 
  branded 
  and 
  

   released. 
  During 
  recent 
  years 
  the 
  number 
  so 
  branded 
  and 
  reserved 
  

   has 
  usually 
  been 
  about 
  200 
  pairs 
  annually, 
  and 
  all 
  inferior 
  animals 
  

   were 
  killed. 
  No 
  discoverable 
  improvement, 
  however, 
  has 
  been 
  

   noted. 
  The 
  catch 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1912-13 
  was 
  of 
  poorer 
  quality 
  

   than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  previous 
  years, 
  and 
  more 
  mangy 
  foxes 
  were 
  

   killed 
  last 
  year 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  previous 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  causes 
  of 
  the 
  deterioration 
  are 
  evident. 
  The 
  natural 
  food 
  on 
  

   St. 
  George 
  Island 
  obtainable 
  by 
  the 
  foxes 
  is 
  not 
  sufficient 
  for 
  their 
  

   needs. 
  Until 
  in 
  recent 
  years 
  the 
  numbers 
  of 
  seals 
  killed 
  on 
  the 
  

   island 
  each 
  year, 
  the 
  refuse 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  carcasses 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  

   available 
  for 
  fox 
  food, 
  were 
  sufficient, 
  together 
  with 
  other 
  obtainable 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  natural 
  food, 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  foxes 
  adequately 
  and 
  with 
  

   wholesome 
  food. 
  But 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  years 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  

   seal 
  meat 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  enough 
  for 
  their 
  needs. 
  Therefore, 
  from 
  

   about 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  October 
  until 
  in 
  May 
  the 
  foxes, 
  finding 
  little 
  or 
  

   nothing 
  else 
  to 
  eat, 
  have 
  been 
  fed 
  mainly 
  on 
  salted 
  food 
  freshened 
  

   in 
  sea 
  water. 
  Meat 
  sufficiently 
  impregnated 
  with 
  salt 
  to 
  preserve 
  it, 
  

   then 
  freshened 
  in 
  sea 
  water, 
  can 
  not 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  freshening 
  vats 
  

   with 
  any 
  less 
  salt 
  than 
  is 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   soaked. 
  A 
  diet 
  carrying 
  that 
  much 
  salt, 
  fed 
  to 
  foxes 
  year 
  after 
  year 
  

   during 
  seven 
  months, 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  wholesome 
  and 
  must 
  inevitably 
  

   produce 
  injurious 
  results. 
  

  

  Furthermore, 
  the 
  trapping 
  season 
  extended 
  over 
  too 
  long 
  a 
  period. 
  

   It 
  should 
  be 
  limited 
  to 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  10 
  days, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  on 
  St. 
  Paul. 
  

   The 
  period 
  during 
  which 
  the 
  fur 
  is 
  at 
  its 
  best 
  is 
  very 
  short. 
  

  

  A 
  quantity 
  of 
  whale 
  flesh 
  (12 
  tons) 
  was 
  shipped 
  last 
  August 
  from 
  

   the 
  whaling 
  station 
  at 
  Akutan 
  to 
  St. 
  George 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  for 
  fox 
  food, 
  

   to 
  compensate 
  for 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  amount 
  of 
  seal 
  meat 
  

   saved 
  and 
  stored 
  for 
  that 
  purpose. 
  Wlien 
  this 
  whale 
  meat 
  was 
  fed 
  

   to 
  the 
  animals 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  they 
  ate 
  it 
  with 
  eagerness 
  and 
  

   seemed 
  to 
  enjoy 
  it 
  more 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  food 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  

   to 
  them 
  heretofore, 
  not 
  excepting 
  the 
  dried 
  salmon 
  which 
  the 
  lessee 
  

   used 
  to 
  furnish. 
  In 
  1913, 
  unfortunately, 
  this 
  whale 
  meat 
  could 
  not 
  

   be 
  obtained, 
  because 
  the 
  Akutan 
  whaling 
  station 
  was 
  closed. 
  As 
  

   the 
  foxes 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  fed, 
  attempts 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  induce 
  natives 
  of 
  

   Unalaska 
  to 
  catch 
  fish 
  for 
  this 
  purpose, 
  and 
  one 
  native 
  res])onded 
  

   by 
  proposing 
  to 
  catch 
  any 
  amount 
  of 
  Attn 
  mackerel 
  or 
  kolpfish, 
  

   dried, 
  up 
  to 
  10 
  tons, 
  at 
  English 
  Bay, 
  Unalaska 
  Island, 
  at 
  $20 
  a 
  

   ton, 
  the 
  Government 
  to 
  furnish 
  the 
  sacks 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  

   shipped. 
  As 
  no 
  other 
  offer 
  was 
  made, 
  the 
  proposition 
  of 
  the 
  native 
  

   was 
  accepted. 
  The 
  live 
  fish 
  were 
  there 
  in 
  quantity, 
  but 
  after 
  catch- 
  

  

  