426 



I think any permits that are handed out, that is a public matter. 

 You have a i^ermit. You know where it went to, who is to file the report 

 and for what reason that permit was granted, entirely open. 



This matter has not been handled m this way in the past. It has 

 been handled as a Bureau matter, or a Fish and Game matter. 



Mr. Potter. On page 6 you indicate that the members of the Marme 

 Mammal Commission should serve limited terms. 



Are you suggesting that they should be limited in terms of years, and 

 if so, are you suggesting also that it might be desirable to prevent them 

 f lom succeeding themselves ? 



Dr. Ray. I think both are desirable. 



Mr. Potter. How many years is it necessary ? 



What is the optimum yield ? 



Dr. Ray. For those of us who have served on committees in the Na- 

 tional Academy or the National Science Foundation, I would like to 

 ask Dr. Norris to comment, but 3 to 5 years seems to be my idea. 



Dr. NoRRis. I agree with that idea. 



Mr. Potter. And you do endorse the idea of new blood coming in ? 



Dr. Ray. Absolutely essential. I think this is important, too, Mr. Pot- 

 ter, for the scientific advisory committee. 



I have an inherent fear of people who build empires. I have been ac- 

 cused of it enough times myself. 



Mr. Potter. Unjustly, I am sure. 



Dr. Ray. Probably not. 



Mr. Potter. We will probably ask the same question of Mr. Burns, 

 but you indicated that Eskimos are the principal predators concerned 

 with these animals and that the level of the Native hunt bears careful 

 scrutiny should it become excessive and restrictive regulations prove 

 necessary. 



What are you really suggesting here ? 



Dr. Ray. I have been working in one island of the Bering Sea 

 for about 12 or 13 years, and mainly concerned with the walrus. 



I think without knowing an awful lot about it now, I would con- 

 cern myself with such a case as the bowhead whale. 



The bowhead whale is valued by Eskimos, but we really do not 

 know how many there are, and the hunt is, to my knowledge, and 

 please clarify this with the gentleman from Alaska, to my knowledge 

 the hunt is not restricted. 



Now, we know pretty well how many walrus there are. We may 

 not approve of headhunting. I certainly do not, but it goes on under 

 certain circumstances. 



I do not approve very much of taking baby walruses and putting 

 them into zoos, althougli I did it myself for a number of years. 



On the other hand, we know pretty much about the biology of the 

 walrus. We can predict how many we can take without hurting the 

 herd too much. 



But bowhead whales — I do not see that we know this, if there are, 

 indeed, 400 in Alaska. 



What do we think of the annual reproduction ? 



Mr. ScHEviLL. One calf everv 3 years. 



Dr. Ray. You fay one calf for every 3 years, and you may have 

 50 reproducing cows out of that herd. 



