monitoring projects is a cooperative effort between the submitting District/Division 1 

 office and CHL. Development of monitoring plans and the conduct of data 

 collection and analyses are dependent upon the combined resources of CHL and the 

 District/Divisions. St. Paul Harbor, Alaska, was nominated and subsequently 

 approved for inclusion in the monitoring program in 1992. 



Project Location and History 



St. Paul Island is the northernmost and largest island of the Pribilofs in the 

 eastern Bering Sea (Figure 1) with a land area of 1 14 sq km (44 sq miles)'. The 

 Pribilofs are of volcanic origin, and St. Paul is composed predominantly of volcanic 

 materials in the form of lava flows and loose cinders with sandy deposits. The west 

 and southwest portions of the island are relatively high and mountainous, with 

 precipitous cliffs along the coast. The remainder of the island is relatively low and 

 rolling with a number of extinct volcanic peaks scattered throughout. Only two of 

 the Pribilof Islands are populated, St. Paul with 800 people and St. George with 

 290 people. Two-thirds of the St. Paul population is Alaskan Native. 



The Pribilof Islands support large populations of birds, mammals, fish, and 

 invertebrates. The Pribilofs are the primary breeding ground for northern fur seals 

 where approximately two-thirds of the world's population (1.3 to 1.4 million) 

 migrate annually (U.S. Army Engineer District, Alaska 1981). More than a quarter 

 miUion seabirds nest on St. Paul Island each year, mainly along the coastal cliffs. 

 The uplands are inhabited by songbirds, white and blue foxes, and a transplanted 

 herd of approximately 250 reindeer. The island is treeless and covered with grasses, 

 sedges, and wildflowers. The eastern Bering Sea near St. Paul supports populations 

 of shrimp, commercially harvestable species of crab, and bottom fish. 



The city of St. Paul is located on a cove on the southern tip of the island and is 

 the island's only settlement. The islands were originally settled by the Russians to 

 harvest fur seals. The treaty for the purchase of Alaska from Russia by the United 

 States in 1 867 placed the Pribilofs under United States control. The National 

 Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and its predecessor Federal agencies were 

 responsible for the fur seal industry in the Pribilofs since 1911, managing the 

 harvest according to a series of international agreements between the United States, 

 Canada, Japan, and the Soviet Union. In 1983, the harvest of fur seals was dis- 

 continued due to a seal harvest moratorium. The NMFS terminated administration, 

 management, and employment at St. Paul. This event had a significant adverse 

 impact on the economy, and the standard of living could not be maintained. At that 

 time the village had no other economic base, no harbor infrastructure, inadequate 

 and unpermitted utihties, overcrowded housing, high unemployment, and limited air 

 and vessel transportation. Development of a harbor, and associated marine-related 



' Units of measurement in the text of this report are shown in SI (metric) units, followed by non-SI 

 (British) units in parentheses. In addition, a table of factors for converting non-SI units of measure- 

 ment used in figures in this report to SI units is presented on page x. 



Chapter 1 Introduction 



