284 



Dr. Harry. As Mr. Pollock said, the reduction was purposeful be- 

 cause the scientists of all four countries agreed there were too many. 



It was a purposeful reduction. 



Mr. DiNGELT.. It was a purposeful reduction baped on an overestimate 

 by two : the year vou found out you took 200 more than you did, the 

 year before, and I assume vou must have corrected. 



The following year you took 16,000. The next year vou took 10.000. 



I would like vou to submit to me the average pelt prices for the 

 years from 1056 to 1970. I would like to comnare that against the 

 females killed. I have a notion that the biological judgment was not 

 as sirrni^cant perhans as the price of pelts. 



Mr. KiRKNESS. There was no market for females when first har- 

 vested, because there was no process developed. 



Mr. Potter. "Wlien did the market for females first open up? 



Mr. KiRKNESS. After we started to harvest females, then the process 

 was developed, and it was some time in the early 1960's before a prod- 

 uct, was developed that had public acceptance. 



Mr. DiNGELL. I am absolutely hard init to believe that you cannot 

 tan a female skin as successful as you can a male. 



Mr. KiRKNESS. You can market it, but the process used for males 

 was not usable on the females for the market at that time. 



Mr. Potter. So they just killed the females and threw them back 

 into the ocean ? 



(Mr. Kirkness indicated agreement. ) 



Dr. Harry. This was not during the entire period, 1 or 2 years, 

 and I forget exactlv which. 



Mr. DiNGELL. When did you develop the process for female hides? 

 When was that developed ? 



Mr. KiRKNESS T will supplv that for the record. 



Mr. DiNGELL. I think that will be very helpful. 



(The information referred to follows :) 



Development of Process for Marketing Female Fuk Sealskins 



The first female fur sealskins were auctioned at St. Louis, Missouri, in October 

 of 1960 under the trade name LAKODA. 



AVERAGE AUCTION PRICE FOR MALE AND FEMALE SEALSKINS FROM 1950-70 



Number of 

 Year Male Female Year females taken 



1950 $95.52 



1951 89.76 



1952.... 104.99 



1953 __ 71.73 



1954 76.92 



1955 94.14 



1956 100.96 



1957 80.23 



1958 78.70 



1959.. 101.49 



1960 103.00 



1961 87.31 



1962 106.97 



1963 117.12 



1964 95.50 



1965 110.07 



1966 116.96 



1967 85.26 



1968 102.42 



1969 , 90.28 



1970 78.10 



