
good health. A brief aerial survey of a part of the west and south 
sides of St. Paul was made after take-off on 21 May. Two additional 
otters were seen at this time; however, several thousand fur seals in 
the area made it difficult to distinguish otters. Flight time from 
Amchitka to St. Paul was 4.3 hours. 
Subsequent reports indicate that this transplant was successful. 
On 29 May we received a report that two otters were seen about 1 mile 
from the point of liberation and that one or two others were frequently 
seen near the village landing. On 21 August a party of Aleut fisher- 
men who visited Otter Island, about 4 miles southwest of St. Paul, 
reported that they saw five otters in that area, 
It is entirely possible that seven otters is too small a group to 
reestablish the species at the Pribilofs. No conclusions can be drawn 
until more time has elapsed. 
FUTURE TRANSPLANTS 
It has been demonstrated that the transplanting of sea otters is 
feasible. Recent population and distribution surveys indicate that 
several apparently suitable areas are not populated by the sea otter. 
These areas are: (1) the Near Islands; (2) the central Andreanof 
Islands (those islands between Adak and Atka); (3) Amukta, Chagulak, 
and Yunaska, and probably the Islands of the Four Mountains. Of these 
areas,we believe that transplants to the Near Islands, where aircraft 
facilities exist, would be most practical. The central Andreanof area, 
although having few if any otters, is bordered on the west by Adak 
where sea otters are now numerous and on the east by Atka where a small 
population exists. A transplant to this area would be impractical, 
since natural repopulation will take place if habitat conditions are 
favorable. Distances between islands are short and quite within the 
range of otter movement. 
The southeastern Alaska area has been suggested as one to which 
otters should be transplanted. We believe this area should not be 
considered for transplant for the following reasons: (1) The popula- 
tion of otters in the Prince William Sound area may spread naturally 
southward along the coast. Scattered but unconfirmed reports of sea 
otters suggest that some have already moved into this area. (2) Human 
populations and fishing activities in southeastern Alaska would greatly 
decrease the chance that transplanted otters would survive. Fishermen 
often shoot at any animal they see. Few would recognize a sea otter. 
(3) The area is extremely large and islands are close together. A very 
considerable number of sea otters would have to be moved if any results 
were to be obtained in the foreseeable future. If the otters scattered 
on release it is entirely possible that no breeding would take place. 
(4) The area is at least 1,600 nautical miles from an area (Amchitka) 
where otters can easily be obtained. It would be difficult to bring a 
suitable number of animals this distance in condition for survival in 
the wild. 
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