308 



Mr. Potter. Do you have any information on the extent to which 

 the fur seal poses a substantial hazard to the salmon fishery? 



Dr. Harry. I do not think it poses a substantial hazard to the salmon 

 fisheries. 



They do take salmon when they become available. 



The fur seal, as you know, migrate along the coast, and if the salmon 

 comes along, they might take it, but our food analysis shows this is not 

 a large component of their diet. 



Mr. DiNGELL. Principally a herring feeder. 



Dr. Harry. Herring and anchovy. 



Mr. DiNGELL. The smallest species. 



Dr. Harry. Yes. 



Mr. Potter. I guess we have kept you rather long here this evening, 

 but what troubles me is that w^hat we seem to be doing is increasing 

 the enviromnental stress on fur seals and all marine mammals from 

 a number of ways : the predator pix)'blem is increasing ; certainly, tlie 

 contamination of the system they live in is increasing; the amount 

 of food that they have access to is decreasing. 



Mr. Pollock. I do not know whether that is correct, Mr. Potter. 



Is their food supply decreasing ? 



Dr. Harry. We are talking f^bout in the Bering Sea where the take 

 of the fisli in the Bering Sea has been tremendous. 



Mr. DiNGELL. And some species have actually been decimated in 

 the Bering Sea by the overfishing problem that we have witih the 

 Russians and the Japanese. 



INIr. Pollock. I am very well aware, but I did not know there was 

 any shortage of food for the fur seals. As Dr. Harry explained the 

 pup mortality on land is not increasing nor is their average weight 

 decreasing. 



Mr. Potter. What this suggests, it would seem to me, is that we 

 have to be increasingly conservative in any action we take that may 

 have any effect on the population levels, where the population levels, 

 for whatever reason, are going down. They are now 60 or 75 percent^ 

 of what you think they ought to be. What I am suggesting is in that 

 the exercise of discretion, the Secretary should be. vigilant to suggest 

 to the members of the North Pacific Fur Seal Con\'ention that we 

 may have to back off and maybe take less seals, if that is what is 

 best for the population — not so much what is best for optimizing the 

 cash i-eturn, as what is best for protectmg the herds. 



Mr. Pollock. I think our decisions have been a maximum sus- 

 tainable yield of the herd and not the dollars we receive from them. 

 However, it should be noted t^hat due to the polygamous nature of the 

 fur seal, excess males can be harvested at practically any population 

 level without damaging the population. I think our program is found- 

 ed upon this premise. 



I think I would like to say, Mr. Chairman, that I think you are 

 aware that Secretary Stans and I went to the Pribilofs this year for 

 the purpose of observing the harvest. He is quite interested in this 

 and the conservation aspects of preserving this very wondei-ful herd. 

 Mr. DiNGELL. Gentlemen, we have kept you too long. 

 The Chair is delighted to see his old friend and colleague back 

 here, and perhaps has kept you here for your very helpful and patient 

 testimony. 



