ZOOr.OGICAI. SOCIETY BILLETIN 



HOPE FOR THE SEA OTTER. 



THE sea otter {Latax lutris), an important 

 marine fur-bearing animal of the Xortli 

 Pacific region, has during recent years 

 been brouglit close to the point of extinction. It 

 M-as fortunately included in "An Act to give ef- 

 fect to the convention between the Governments 

 of the United States, Great Britain. Japan and 

 Russia, for the jjreservation and protection of 

 the fur seals and sea otter which frequent the 

 waters of the North Pacific Ocean, concluded 

 at Washington, July 7, 1911." The killing of 

 sea otter is therefore prohibited until Novem}jec 

 I, 1920. The species still exists in the Aleutian 

 and Commander Islands, and in isolated spots 

 to the soutiiward. along the coasts of Xortli 

 America, and Asia, to Lower California and 

 Northern Japan. 



It is the most valuable of all fur-producing 

 animals and is captured only by the most ardu- 

 ous hunting. \\'hile the catch has never been 

 large, as compared with other fur-bearers, the 

 value of the skin is great. Statistics relative 

 to sea otter killing are limited to few sources 

 and are difficult to obtain. The following fig- 

 ures relate to otters taken in the Aleutian and 

 Kurile Islands, the very limited catch from 

 more southerly regions not being available. The 

 data collected by Captain Hooper, presumablv 

 from the records of the Alaska Commercial Co., 

 places the total number of sea otter skins mar- 

 keted from Alaska waters from 1873 to 189(5 

 at 58,184. 



More recently the catch of sea otters from 

 the Kurile Islands stretching southward from 

 Kamtschatka has been compiled from official 

 Japanese records by Captain Snow of Yoko- 

 hama, for many years engaged in sea otter 

 hunting. His figures place the total number of 

 skins marketed from 1872 to 1909 .at 12,1..53. 

 During the period from 1873 to 1888 the 

 catch of sea otters in Alaskan waters ranged 

 from 1,000 to l.OOO annually. Since 1888 the 

 catch has been limited to a few hundreds each 

 year, although the efforts put forth by otter 

 hunters were prosecuted as vigorously as ever. 

 In Asiatic waters (exclusive of the Command- 

 er Islands, where the otter has been partially 

 protected) the catch ranged from 1,000 to 1,500 

 a year. Subsequent to 1 879 the number of 

 skins from the Kurile Islands marketed yearly 

 has been only a few hundreds with the supply 

 steadily decreasing. 



The Russian .authorities have long regulated 

 the killing of sei otter, at the Commander Is- 

 l.inds, and while conserving the supply of otters, 

 have marketed many skins. The catch from the 



C ommander Isl.-inds is not at the present writ- 

 ing available. 



The catch of sea otter, along the coast of 

 \'aneouver Island was formerly so important 

 that during the early d.iys of British Columbia, 

 the otter fishery was considered one of the most 

 valuable resources of the province. 



The treaty of 1911, to which the Powers con- 

 trolling the coasts and islands included in the 

 sea otters range are committed, should insure 

 the safety of the existing scattered remnants. 

 There is reason to hope that by the expiration 

 of the treaty in 1920 the sea otter will have 

 re-established itself. 



C. H. T. 



SEA LIONS AND THE FISHERMEN. 



By C. H. TOWNSEND. 



ON visiting the coast of British Columbia 

 during the past summer, the Chairman of 

 the Executive Committee, ilr. Madison 

 Grant, learned that at the instigation of the sal- 

 mon fishermen a government bounty had been 

 placed on the Steller sea lion and that pay- 

 ments had already been made on 2,875 of these 

 animals, when the bounty fund became exhaust- 

 ed. In addition to sea lions, bounties were paid 

 on 2,987 hair seals. The total payments for 

 19U and 1915 aggregated $1 1.329.50, 



This is the usual procedure with fishermen 

 who may be dejaended upon to attribute the 

 depletion of fisheries to other causes than the 

 wasteful fishing methods practiced by them- 

 selves. 



Mr. Francis Kermode. Curator of the Pro- 

 vincial Museum at ^'ictoria, already had ap- 

 pealed to the Provincial (iovernment on behalf 

 of the sea lions, with the result that a com- 

 mittee of the Biological Board was appointed 

 to make inquiries regarding the charges made 

 by the fishermen, the food h.-ibits of sea lions, 

 the effects produced by the bounty and other 

 matters connected with the subject; the fishery 

 industries of the province being very important 



Mr. Grant wrote to the members of this 

 committee directing their .itttntion to the dan- 

 gers already surrounding wild life, the constant 

 tendency toward its destruction, and urging the 

 fullest possible inquiry in view of the prejudice 

 against the sea lion. 



He called the attention of the committee to 

 the history of the campaign waged against the 

 destruction of the sea lions by the fishery in- 

 dustries of California and Oregon some years 



