
Table 7.--Number and estimated ages of male seals killed on the 
Pribilofs, 1945-52. 
[Ages estimated from tooth-ridge counts on St. Paul Island 
in 1950, 1951, and 1952; on St. George in 1951 and 1952.] 

- ne 
e~year- 3-year- 4-year- 5-year- 
All ages olds olds olds olds 
Year _(100%)__ (1%) (62%) __ (35%) (2%) 
1945 y 76 , 390 764 47,262 26 , 736 1,528 
1946 64,028 640 39,697 22,410 1,281 
1947 61,153 611 37,915 21,404 1,223 
1948 69,893 699 43,334 24,462 1,398 
1949 70,654 707 43,805 24,729 1,413 
1950 59,921 599 37,151 20,972 1,199 
1961 60, 504 605 37,513 21,176 1,210 
1952 63,670 637 39,475 22,28 1,273 
Total 526,213 5,262 326,252 184,174 10,525 
Mean 65,777 658 40,781 23,022 1,316 
Subtotal, 
1950-52 184,095 1,841 114,139 64,433 3,682 
Mean, 
1950-52 61, 365 614 38,046 21,478 1,227 

i Excluding 1 bull. 
An analysis of the age composition shows considerable unifomity, 
on the average, between hauling grounds and between the different years 
sampled. On the other hand, age composition changes throughout the killing 
season, the proportion of 3's tending to increase as the season advances. 
This is in complete conformity with the results from the tagging studies 
and with observations that 4-year-olds tend to haul out on the islands 
earlier than 3-year-olds. 
As stated previously, sealing methods have been quite uniform 
for the past 33 years. However, certain irregularities should be 
mentioned. Before 1928 it was the custom to take a few mndred seals in 
the fall in "food killings" to supplement the local meat supply. And 
before 1933 a certain number of bachelors were spared during the killing 
season as future breeding stock. These were marked by shearing the tops 
of the heads. During the World War II years 1942-43 sealing practices were 
upset by military occupation. 
After the sealing harvest ceased to increase annually as it had 
during the 1920's and early 1930's some of those interested in the size of 
the commercial harvest proposed an explanation, paraphrased as follows: 
"Perhaps seals of killable age exist today in far greater numbers than 
== 
