113 



On page 10 of your testimony, you indicate that the pelagic sealing 

 by Interior involved the shooting and capturing of 824 seals in 1968, 

 and another 3,586 were lost. 



Would you supply the committee with the documentation of that? 



Miss Herrington. I have the photocopy of the report with me. 



Mr. PoiTER. The other has to do with the statement on page 19. You 

 indicate that the State of Oregon employs a man to shoot all seals on 

 sight. 



I would very much like to have whatever evidence you can supply 

 to the committee on this point at your convenience. 



Miss Herrington. We will be glad to do so. 



Mr. Potter. That is all. 



(The information referred to follows:) 



Fish Commission, 

 Portland, Or eg., March 9, 1971. 



Mrs. A. BUEKHOLDEB, 



Portland, Oreg. 



Dear Ms. Bubkholdeb: You recently wrote to Tis concerning the seal control 

 program of the Fish Commission in the Columbia River. This program is author- 

 ized by ORS 506.341. This statute requires that the commission shall pay as 

 bounty not less than $5 nor more than $25 to any person who delivers to it 

 within 60 days evidence of a seal having been killed. It also provides that the 

 commission may enter into an agreement with any person for the purpose of 

 taking seals. In 1970 the Fish Comimission at a public hearing acted to reduce the 

 bounty payment to $5, the minimum amount that can be provided consistent with 

 the law. It did not at that time attempt to change a contract with the seal hunter 

 which had earlier been awarded. This contract provides that the commission pay 

 $40 per day to an individual to himt seals and harass them in the Columbia River 

 so that they leave the river during commercial fishing seasons. 



The public meeting on February 22 was to consider awarding a seal hunting 

 contract for 1971. At the meeting no individuals appeared to oppose the killing 

 of seals. Because the commissioners were concerned about the attitude of the pub- 

 lic, they delayed making a decision at this meeting. No contract has been awarded 

 to date. 



Thank you very much for sending us your comments on the seal control program 

 in the Columbia River. We will bring your letter to the attention of the 

 commissioners. 

 Sincerely, 



Thomas E. Kbuse, 

 Assistant State Fisheries Director. 



Exhibit Q — Dbi'Abtment of Commebce Special Scientific Report — Fishebies 

 No. 617 "FuB Seal Investigations, 1968" Published Decembeb 1970 



We saw considerable numbers of seals in the Bering Sea along and outside the 

 Continental Shelf from Unalaska Island east to Unimak Pass from 1 to 15 

 August. 



The following surveys are not shown on any of the figures : 



Direction and locality 



Seals seen 

 (number) 



Date 



Distance 



Km. 



Miles 



St. Paul to St. George 



56 km. (30 miles) south of St. George to 111 km. (60 miles) northwest 

 of Cape Cheerful, Unalaska Island (just off the Continental Shelf 

 between Pribilof Islands and feeding grounds near eastern Aleutian 

 Islands) 



Along Continental Shelf between Sanak Island and Shumagin Islands... 



Past Chirikof Island.. 



Toward town of Kodiak.. _ 



Eastward from Kodiak 



Southeastward in Gulf of Alaska 



137 km. (74 miles) west of Cape Edgecumbe 



20 Aug. 12 



93 

 23 

 5 

 8 

 

 

 1 



Aug. 15 



Aug. 18 



Aug. 19 



Aug. 20 



Aug. 22 



Aug. 23 



Aug. 24 



64 



(40) 



