511 



ing brings higher mortality among the pups. The battle for living space causes 

 injuries and leads to disease and starvation. Such mortality, in the past, has 

 taken up to 20% of the pups before they are sufficiently mature to leave the 

 rookeries. 



One concern has been the length of the paths along which seals are driven 

 from the shore to the harvest. To reduce discomfort, the drive paths have been 

 shortened by approximately one-half. Experiments are planned with other 

 ground cover to determine whether the drive can be further improved. 



Seals are harvested wih clubs. They are dispatched quickly with a blow to 

 the head. 



■For several years, the Fisheries Service has been experimenting with alterna- 

 tive methods including drugs, gases, electricity, shooting, and others to dispatch 

 seals. At this point, despite extensive effort, none has been found which accom- 

 plishes the task as quickly and as humanely. The Service's position is that it 

 cannot cause increased suffering, and introduce an element of danger to the 

 men employed in the harvest, simply to provide a cosmetic death. Meanwhile, 

 the quest for a more humane method will be vigorously pursued. 



The Service has cooperated closely with representatives of humane societies 

 who observe the seal harvst annually. It will continue this cooperation. Fur- 

 ther, the cooperation of the American Veterinary Medical Association's Research 

 Committee is being sought in the Service's continuing search for the most hu- 

 mane way in which to conduct the harvest. 



Should the fur seal harvest continue? When the alternatives are considered, 

 the answer must be affirmative. 



Should the present management scheme by unilaterally halted by the United 

 States, other nations would, in all probability, resume the harvest at sea, a 

 wasteful and inhumane process. 



If the Pribilof fur seal herd is not managed properly and excess numbers 

 removed, many will succumb to other environment controls such as parasites, 

 diseases, and physical injury magnified by overcrowded conditions. Their ill- 

 nesses and deaths, in many cases would be lingering, with pups suffering the 

 greatest losses. It is a rare occasion when "natural" mortality is as humane as 

 current harvest methods. 



If proper management harvests are stopx)ed, the single source of employment 

 for the Aleut population in its ancestral home would disappear, with nothing 

 in view to replace it. 



As the harvest continues, with its operation under constant review within 

 and outside of the government, the Pribilof fur seal herd will be kept at a level 

 of high, productive abundance, and the resources which has been saved by care- 

 ful conservation methods will be preserved for the future. 



Status and Management of Mabine Mammals 



The marine mammals are a varied group of animals representing four orders 

 of the class Mammalia ; Cetacea (the whales, dolphins and porpoises) ; Carnivora 

 (the sea otter) ; Pinnipedia (the seals, sea lions and walruses) ; and Sirenia (the 

 dugongs and manatees.) Most of the species are wide-ranging animals which 

 travel extensively through international waters. Due to their extensive move- 

 ments and distribution and their restriction to a marine environment with many 

 species breeding in the far north, research on this group has proven to be quite 

 difficult. In recent years, however, there has been an intensification of research 

 effort, with international cooperation in some cases, and man's knowledge of this 

 group is now expanding. 



Management needs of the marine mammals vary with the species concerned, 

 as would be expected. In many cases, management is complicated by the animals 

 extensive movements within international waters. With respect to these species, 

 sound management depends on international cooperation. 



The following discussion presents current information on the status of the 

 various species, the opportunities for management present management measures 

 and the needs for management. 



WHALES AND OTHER CETACEANS 



Estimates of the population size of the commercially utilized species of whales 

 indicate that the populations are low and that they are being taken at near or 

 over the maximum sustainable level, mainly by countries other than the United 



