166 NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 68 



Table 28. — Adak Island sea otter population density in 75 square miles of 



feeding habitat 







Estimate 



Otters per 



Authority and 



Year 



Count 



of total 



square mile 



survey method 



1947 .. 



0 



0 



0 



Kenyon field notes. No otters seen or 









reported seen. 



i OKI 



lifOl ■ 



Q 



0 



0 



R.. D. Jones, surface survey, west side 











1952 



0 



0 



0 



R. D. Jones, surface survey entire island. 



1954 



48 



o\) 



1 



JL 



ti . ijensinK j-you ) , air survey, ail 

 otters seen on vi'est side of island. 



1954 - 



1 







R. D. Jones. First recorded sighting at 

 Adak Naval Station, on east side of 

 island. 



1957 



399 



997 



13 



C. J. Lensink (1960) and R. D. Jones, 

 surface survey. Most otters on west side 

 of island. 



1959_.... 



1,718 



2,291 



31 



Spencer and Kenyon, aerial survey. 



1962_ 



. 2,260 



3,013 



40 



Spencer and Kenyon, aerial survey. 



1965 



. 1,336 



1,781 



24 



Spencer and Kenyon, aerial survey. 



1962-65 period. All available observations are listed in tables 

 27 and 28. 



Kagalaska Island. — Kagalaska is uninhabited by man. Most of 

 the island is precipitous. Although its coastline is about 35 miles 

 long, the band of shallow v^ater surrounding it and offering sea 

 otter feeding habitats is relatively narrow. As at nearby Adak, sea 

 otters were apparently exterminated at Kagalaska before 1911. 



On the 1959 aerial survey we recorded one otter there. Between 

 then and the 1962 survey the influx from nearby Adak was rapid 

 and had apparently passed its peak in 1965 (table 29 and fig. 78). 



Atka Island. — The village of Atka is the farthest west location 

 of a small Aleut population today. The village is on Nazan Bay 

 near the eastern end of the 55-mile long island. 



Both R. D. Jones and I were told repeatedly by Aleuts living at 

 Atka that during the 1940's sea otters were occasionally seen at 

 Vasilief Bay near the east end of Atka. The 1959, 1962, and 1965 

 aerial surveys confirmed that a small and growing sea otter colony 

 is resident in this area (table 25). 



Vasilief Bay offers ideal sea otter habitat. The main body of 

 the bay is dotted with rocks and islets. Numerous channels among 

 them and irregular shores offer many areas that are sheltered 



Table 29. — Kagalaska Island sea otter population density in 15 square miles of 



feeding habitat 



Year 



Count 



Estimate 

 of total 



Otters per 

 square mile 



Authority and 

 survey method 



1954 



1959 



1962 



1965 



0 

 1 



251 



298 



0 



2+ 

 335 

 397 



0 

 <1 

 22 

 26 



Lensink, aerial survey. 

 Spencer and Kenyon, aerial survey. 

 Spencer and Kenyon, aerial survey. 

 Spencer and Kenyon, aerial survey. 



