other insects' and related forms that occjir in Alaska are the housefly, "blow- 

 fly, bluehottle fljr, many titing flies, se.vsral kinds of carrion flies, the 

 deer fly, moose fly, three horseflies, se'.-ej'r.l hinds of rjits,- "butterflies, 

 bum'ble'bees, hornets, wasps, dra^onfliss, aphids, iri.cths, BjTphid flies, lice, 

 Dorers , miner "beetles, a few §,ra£ shoppers, aiid many other flyiug insects, 

 and spiders and mites. 



T he Der)leticn of Tjlriife 



The a'bindance of fiir animals and the higla value of sea otter pelts 

 particularly attracted early Lussian settle'tisnt, Drrir^ Russian occupation 

 and ea.rly American possession of the Territory the take of sea otters was 

 so great as to result in their near e::termina.tion, A "bars remnant remains 

 tods-y .along some of the islands cf the AleuGiaii ch'?in. The fur seal, like- 

 wise, was threatened with extermination, "cut the United States Government 

 in 1911 effected an agrea^nent with C-reat Xritain, Eussia, and Japan where- 

 by the take of fur seals is now regulated and the crop harvested on the 

 PriDilof Islands under Tederal supervision. The Prioilof Islands, to which 

 the fur seals anniially mit^Tate in spring for "breeding, constitute their 

 principal rookery. Sui-plus ycjiii? bulls are killed and. polted at that time, 

 and the pelts or the proceeds therefrom are divided among the treaty na- 

 tions, except Russia. 



Under the early American occupation, whaling in j^lasl'ian waters, par- 

 ticularly in the Arctic, reached eiiorijous proportions; Vliale cil and 

 whalebone were in great demand; the supply of v/hales "b^ecame greatly de- 

 pleted, and the bowhead we.s nearly T/i-toed cut. The infl-j:: of whalers to 

 Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean ca^-.'^ad^ other forms of wildlife to s^Jiffer. 

 Because of wintering whalers, occupation by other white }:eople, and the 

 use of high-pov.-ered rifles bj- the nati-';-es, the fame became so depleted as 

 to arouse concern for the food supply cf the - ■:;kLiiOS. As a consequence, 

 reindeer were introduced. In the depletion of wildlife that took place, 

 one game animal, the musk ox, was entirely destroyed. 



Importance of A laskan "Wildlife 



Of the wildlife resources of Alaska, fisheries a:id Irlndxed p'lrsviits 

 have the highest monetary and omploj-ment value. The ann-ual production is 

 worth s)50,CG3,000 and a large part of the population, both native and white, 

 are engaged, in the fishing industry. The n-jimb?r of persons so eaplo\-ed 

 during 1939 was CO, 572. 2, The cnlef commercial production of the industry 

 is canned salmon. Other prodxxcts ir.clv.de hali'uut, herring, and^ cod; clams, 

 shrimp and cra.bs; and whales. 



2_i Bower, Ward T. A?.aska fishery and fur-seal industries in 1939. 

 Adm. Rpt. 40, Appendix to Comn. Fisheries Rpt. 1940:1941. [In press.] 



