227 



(In feet] 



Location Distance, 1968 Distance, 1970 



Polovina (1) 



Polovina (2). - 



Polovina Cliffs. _. - 



Northeast Point (east) 



Northeast Point (west) 



Reef Point (1) - - -- 



Tolstoi, from rookery 



Total - - - - 15.630 6,080 



« To be shortened. 



Removal of obstacles such as volcanic rock which cause stress to the seals during 

 the drive. 

 One of the more troublesome areas that required improvement was at Zapadni 

 Rookery. This area has been improved by grading the bank slopes to provide 

 easier access for animals to the har\'esting area. Many of the hauling grounds 

 have rock out-croppings over which the seals must be driven but which cannot 

 be removed without greatly disturbing the landscape. 



Provide relief clubbers to improve accuracy. 



Before 1968, the entire seasonal operation was conducted by four skilled em- 

 ployees. In 1968, the harvesting crew was increased to five, and in 1969 and 

 1970 to seven. 



Reduce the number of seals to be dispatched at one time to lessen the possibility 

 of multiple blows. 



The niunber of seals in the pods has been reduced as recommended by the 

 Task Force except during the very end of the season when increasing numbers of 

 females enter the drives and must be rejected. When the drives consist almost 

 entirely of male animals the pods are limited to 6 to 8 animals. Late in the 

 season when females are prominent in the drives the number of animals in each 

 pod is increased in order to keep field operations moving rapidly and to limit 

 the time the animals must be held in the drive. 



The Task Force made the following recommendations for future studies : 



1. In order to establish criteria for .iuding both the effectiveness and the 

 humaneness of euthanasia methods, techniques to measure sensitivity to pain, 

 time of unconsciousness, and time of death must be developed. 



2. Consultations with slaughter research and development workers and a 

 thorough review of literature pertinent to physiological and behavior character- 

 istics of diving mammals and euthanasia techniques should be carried out. 



3. A feasibility study utilizing this information in the light of the behavior 

 of wild animals and the various ecological, physical, social, and economic facets 

 of life on the Pribilof Islands is necessary. 



4. Following this, plans for research programs to explore the physiological 

 and behavioral characteristics of the northern fur seal which may determine 

 euthanasia methods should be developed. 



As a result of these recommendations a thorough review was made of the 

 literature pertinent to the physiological and behavioral characteristics of diving 

 mammals and to euthanasia techniques. Problems associated with harvesting 

 methods have been discussed with several experts and also with the American 

 Veterinary Medical Association at its annual meeting in 1970. As a result the 

 Research Council of the AVMA made a recommendation that their Panel on 

 Euthanasia should witness the 1971 harvest and judge the humaneness of all 

 known methods that could be adapted to the sealing operation, including the 

 present method. Six members of the panel have expressed a willingness to co- 

 operate. The Executive Board of the AVMA concurred in the Research Council's 

 recommendation with the suggestion that the panel serve initially as an inde- 

 pendent i>anel of consultants. 



In 1969 a contract was awarded the Virginia Mason Research Center in Seattle 

 to conduct a series of experiments using OO2 and N2 gasses to dispatch fur seals. 

 These tests provided some useful information, but it was evident that more 

 refined techniques would be required and the Virginia Mason Research Center 

 agreed to conduct additional tests in 1970. 



During the 1970 season, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, succinylcholine. (a paralytic 

 durg), and conventional stunning and bleeding were tested using twenty-six 



