Foote, Don C.

Rogers, George W.

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I I CENTRE D'l:TUDES ARCTIQUES ET FINNO~SCANDINAVES ECOLE PRATIQUE. DES· · HAUTES ETUDES VI" Section : Sciences Economlques. et Soclalea. SORBONNE . • FONDATION· FRANCAISE·_ D ' £: T U D E S N O ~ D I Q U E S:. · . . (ROUEN) • ·· .. ' . '. , '. '·:·.: : '. ,, ~ Revue Internationale d' etudes arctiaues. et nordiaues M ... . .. I lnternationaljournai of Arc.tic and N·ordic Studies·. · · S.E.V.P.E.N. (Mlnistere de !'Education Natlonale) 13, rue du Four PARIS-VI" '.··, ..... E.X.T-R A IT· .. , ".· ,_ . . . . ' Cf/ " V THE NORTH PACIFIC FUR SEAL INDUSTRY.· THE RECORD OF INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT by George W. ROGERS * and Don C~ FOOTE ¥. Each summer, the northern fur seals (Cal/orhinus ursinus) return to their island rookeries. Except as odd stragglers, very few animals venture north of the Pribilofs. In the eastern Pacific the seals migrate south to the Channel Islands off Santa Barbara, Cali-fornia in winter. To the west they range from the Commander Islands in the north to the. seas southwest of Kinkazan Peninsula on northern Honshu and into the Sea of Japan. Bull seals from the Pribilofs win-ter principally in Alaskan waters, mostly the Gulf of Alaska, while the older females and young travel far south. Except for the period from 23 October 1941, when the Convention of 1911 was te'rminated by· Japan's abrogation of the Treaty, until the Interim Convention on Conservation of North Pacific Fur Seals was signed 9 February 1957, this valuable resource has been under tho management of an international com-mission with membership of the United States, Cana-da, the U.S.S.R. and Japan. The record is an outstan-. ding case study of successful international co-opera-tion and conservation and management of a renewa-ble natural resource. (Refer to introductory comment in Inter-Nord N° 8). •. The Pacific Fur Seal lndustr; i786-1911. The fur seal rookeries of the Commander Islands were discovered in 1741 by Russian explorers. Not until the once great pop'ulation of sea otters began to decline In the last decades .of the 18th century did the Russian traders and hunters turn their attention to fur seal pelts. After several years of exploration Gerassium Pribilof, in 1786-87, discovered the Islands of St. George and St. Paul and their immense wealth of breeding seals. Soon after the discovery of St. Paul the Russians began to take a large annual harvest of fur seal pelts. Incomplete historical records suggest that between 1789 and 1869 the Pribilof Islands produced more than 2.5 million skins. By 1805, when the Russian-Ame• rican Company took charge of the island industry, the Pribilof seal herd had declined to a point where a closed season was declared, from 1806 to 1810. Additional periodic closures in the early 19th century did not prevent a continued decrease in .the herds. Finally, from 1835 to 1867, a restricted kill of male animals and prohibition against the taking of females resulted in a slow growth of the seal population. When the United States purchased Alaska· in 1867, and with it the Pribilof Islands, the fur seal pppulation had increased to a point where it sustained an an-nual kill of several thousand males. Although the United States government intended to continue the conservation practices of the Russians, the Pribilof herd was ruthlessly decimated by private American interests during 1868 and 1869. An Act of Congress in 1868 prohibited the killing of fur seals and on March 3rd, 1869 the Pribilof ls-lands were set aside a special reservation for the . protection of the animals. A year later the United · States Treasury Department was authorized to lease · exclusive rights to the islands' fur seal resources, with the stipulation that ncl female seals were to be killed .. Under the first 20 year lease, starting in 1870,. the Alaska CofTlmercial Company took 1,854,029 pelts. A second 20 year.'lease, granted to the North Ameri-can Commercial Company, produced only 342,651 seal skins for the period ending in 1909. Unfortunately for the North American Commercial Company, its c;:ontract period coincided with the hay-day of pelagic sealing. As a commercia·1 enterprise, pelagic fur seal hunting began about 1868 and rea-ched its greatest extent between 1889 and 1909. In that short period alone an estimated 600,000 animals • institute of Social, Economic and Government Research, University of Alaska. 151 ·----....--------------~---- ·-·-·----··-···-·"···--· .._,. .,·.~··· ..... I l were taken on the high seas by American, Japanese and Canadian sealers: The combined effects of the land-based and pelagic sealing were so great that by 1909 only about 200,000 fur seals remained. Approximately 134,000 of these animals were found on the Pribilof Islands. International Agreement and Conservation, 1911-1967. After extended diplomatic negotiations and a long series of ineffectual bilateral agreements, the United States, Japan, Canada and Russia concluded a convention on July 7th, 1911, for the protection of the fur seals of the North Pacific. This convention, with some modifications instituted in 1942, 1957 and 1964, is still in effect. Under the agreement pelagic · sealing was prohibited except by aborigines using primitive weapons. In lieu of pelagic hunting rights, Japan and Canada each received 15 percent of the pelts harvested by the United States and the Soviet Union, with certain exceptions for the sharing of Russian production, particularly for the period 1964-67. From 1911 to 1955 various conservation and ·mana-gement techniques were employed by the U.S. Govern-ment In order to stimulate growth in the Pribilof seal herd and still maintain a reasonable yearly harvest. The annual kill fluctuated between 15,000 and 31,000 animals of all ages during the period ·1919 to 1928, and between 40,000 and 65,000 seals from 1929 to 1940. Apparently the herd increased at a rate .of .from six to eight percent per year from 1925 to 1948. Beginning in 1945 and continuing through 1955 the annual seal harvest was from 59,000 to 77,000. Ad-ditional research during this time provided insights into seal population dynamics and new management programmes. In 'an effort to malntaln a stable seal · pup population of about 500,000 per year, to lower mortality and to eliminate wide fluctuations In the surviva_l of young seals, It was decided to reduce the total female population from an eatimated 1,200,000 to about 800,000. Scientific evidence also suggested that the reduced herd would sustain an annual yield of about 60,000 males and 30,000 females. The herd reduction programme began in 1956 and terminated after the 1963 season. Recently revised calculations suggest that while the original predictions on the annual take of male animals are reasonable the production of females will probably lie between 9,000 and 18,000 yearly. In the decade after 1956 · the total annual· kill on Sl Pc1ul ranged from about 32,000 to over 100,000. With the protection afforded by the 1911 convention, · the Robben Islands and Commander herds apparently began to prosper once more, but did n_ot increase In proportion to the phenomenal multiplication of the Pribilof herds In the period from 1911 to 1940. During the last war the Japanese greatly increased the kill of fur seal and the Robben Islands herds probably declined sharply from the 1941 level of about 50,000. Under the more recent management of the U.S.S.R. the population of the Asian herds has Increased to the level where a sustained commercial yield Is once more possible. Table I summarizes the commercial kill of fur seals from 1958 to 1967 and Indicates that the Asian herds have steadily increased ln relative Importance from less than ten percent of the total commercial kill to about one quarter of the total annual harvest. TABLE I Year 1958. 59 60 61 6Z 1963 64 65 66* 67* Tota! KIii 85,122 65,270 50,948 94,069 90,371 101,058 84,305 71,598 73,000 86,650 North Pacific Fur Seal Commission Commercial kill of fur seals, 1958-1964 Robben Islands 3,127 4,802 6,251 6,947 7,037 7,339 8,317 8,432 8,500 8,750 Commander Islands 3,021 2,261 4,081 5,023 5,405 7,381 10,556 11,433 11,500 12,300 · Pribilof Islands --~~- ---- ------Number % total 78,974 58,207 40,616 82,099 77,929 86,338 65,432 51,733 53,000 65,600 92.8 89.2 79.7 87.3 86.2 85.4 77.6 72.3 72.6 75.7 SOURCE : 1958 through 1965 actual commercial kill es reported In North Pacific Fur Seal Commlaslon; proceedings of annual meetings . through 1966 .. Estimates for 1966 and 1967 based upon preliminary reports on actual kill on Pribilof Islands and minimum (1966) and maximum {1967) planned kills on USSR Islands as reported et IS68 meeting of Commission. • Preliminary dat• •nd estimates. 152 In addition to the commercial kill there is also a significant kill of fur seals both on land and at sea for scientific purposes. Japan and Canada as well · as the United· States and the Soviet Union under a 1964 protocol to the 1957 Interim Convention are engaging ih a long-range study to determine if pelagic sealing in conjunction with land seals could be per-mitted in certain circumstances without adverse effect to the achievement of the objectives of the Conven-tion. The outcome of these studies may significantly alter the future nature and conduct of the industry, but for the present and immediate future the Pribilof Islands operations reflect the accepted patterns. The Pribilof Fur Seal Industry. Seals returning to the Pribilof Islands in summer arrive at varying times depending upon their age and sex. The first to come are the oldest bulls who begin landing. at their bree-ding rookeries in late April and appear in increasing numbers until the middle of June. At this time the oldest females have already started to arrive .and join the harems that the bulls are attempting to esta-blish. Three- and four-year old males, which make up the bulk of the commercial kill, arrive In late June, July and early August. Nearly· half the four-year old males arrive by 13th-18th July and half the three-year olds by 20th-28th July. The midpoint for the four-year old female arrivals is more than a month later. Three-year old females arrive still later and two-year old females are found mixed with yearling males in Octo-ber and early November. The main exodus of seals from their breeding grounds takes place during No-vember even while some yearlings may be still arriv-ing. By the end of the year the beaches of St. Paul are usually deserted. The Pribilof fur seal industry is divided into three distinct operations. The first is the actual harvest and. preparation of raw seal skins for shipment from the islands, the second Is the processing and shipment of seal carcass by-products and the third is the final tann-ing and sale of finished seal skins by a U.S. Govern-. ment contractor, the Fouke Fur Company of Greenville, So·uth Carolina. Both operations related to the seal skins are labour intensive, there being at least 36 diffe 7 rent steps in the island-based process and about 100 individual processes In the Fouke factory. Some automation In the island by~products plant has appa-rently reduced the number of manual workers. The final product of the industry, a beautiful, soft, supple fur, has oeen able to command premium prices of over $ 100.00 · per pelt on the world market. The industry has been so successful In processing and marketing the seal skins that the U.S. Government has earned an annual net profit for many years. Since 1959, when Alaska became a state, 70 percent of the annual net profits revert to the state treasury. A sum-mary of the seal harvest and receipts, since l 955, is given in Table II. · TABLE II Receipts from sales of Pribilof Islands· fur seal pelts, 1955-1966 Gross from sales $ 1955 4,423,748 1956 4,958,126 1957 5,368,809 1958 3,862,253 1959 4,390,203 1960 4,810,979 1961 4,487,7.59 1962 4,296,741 1963 5,369,938 1964 5,400,643 1965 4,079,412 1966 4,465,603 · Net receipts from sales* $ 2,920,258 3,251,029 3,567,858 2,332,924 · 2,884,648 3,220,405 2,839,862 2,742,403 3,566,765 3,500,691 2,530,301 2,798,856 State of .receipts $ 813,919 1,050,002 536,809 702,852 . 589,300 963,635 300,017 " Net receipts equal gross receipts less contractors' proceulng cost and one percent discount on cash seles. SOURCE : Report of · Hearings before the Subcommittee of the Committee on Commerce, U. S. Senate to review the administration of fur sealskin operations In the Pribilof Islands ; records of the U. S. Department of the Interior. Up to and including the 1961 season the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries operated a by-products plant on St. Paul Island for the production of oil and meal from the fur seal carcasses. Due to poor market con-ditions that had developed by 1961, Increased costs of operation, and the need to meet expensive repla-cement costs for equipment and machinery, govern-ment operation of the plant was dis.continued. There . have been no attempt to utilize the fur seal carcasses · from the much smaller harvest on St. George Island. During the 1962 and 1963 seasons the Bureau entered into an agreement with Monarch Marine ·Pro-ducts ofVancouver, British Columbia. This company attempted to ship the carcasses by vessel under ice to Vancouver for ultimate use as a mink diet supple• ment. They experienced very limited success and were unable to continue the venture. Interest in use of the seal carcasses In mink diet had been established, however, and in 1964 the Bu-reau entered into a 5-year contract with Oregon-Alaska Marine Products Incorporated, for the utiliza-, tion of all carcasses on both St. Paul and St. George Islands. This firm installed a 500-ton cold storage facility on St. Paul Island and grinds, bags, and sharp freezes the carcasses, then ships the product to .the mink Industry In Oregon. This operation has ·appa-, 153 --- ·----- ·--------------------------·--~ rently been successful from the company's standpoint and ha.s been satisfactory to the government except for the non-utilization of the St. George Island pro-duction. The original native residents of St. Paul were Aleut people brought from the islands of Atka and Unalaska by the Russians in the late 1780's. Since that time the · community has remained intact except for clo-sures of the industry, principally from 1806 to 1810 and 1942 to 1944, when the inhabitants were temporarily evacuated. · Un~il 1868 responsibility for the welfare of the St. Paul residents rested with the Russian fur traders. Cofnpensation for labour in the sealing industry was in the form of basic food stuffs and living essentials. From 1870 to 1909 the companies leasing sealing rig~ts from the U.S. Government were obliged to furnish, annually, at not no cost, the people of St. Paul with •· 25,000 dried salmon, 60 cords fire wood and a sufficient quantity of salt and barrels for the preser-vation of a necessary seal meat supply "· After 1910 the government took direct responsibility for the health and welfare of the community. On November 2nd, 1966 a new fur seal act (Public Law· 89-702) was signed into law. Under its provi. slons the Secretary of the Interior Is Instructed to " employ natives of the Pribilof Islands and, when ne-cessary, other persons for taking and curing fur seal skins .. : and compensate them at rates to be determi-154 ned by the Secretary". (Sec. 104). The secretary Is also authorized to ·~ provide, with or without reim-bursement, the natives of the· Pribilof Islands with such facilities, services, and. equipment as he deems necessary, including but not limited to, food, fuel, shel-ter, transportation, and education ».·(Sec. 203). During the last two decades local, ·municipal govern-ment has taken an ever increasing responsibility for. the administration of the St. Paul community. Tradi-tionally the native inhabitants supported and maintai-ned the local church, church functions and certain recreational activities of the community, from profits · earned in the local canteen. In 1949 it was recom-mended that St. Paul accept a Corporate Charter under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. · On June 17th, 1950 a constitution and charter were adop-ted under the name of the « Aleut Community of St. Paul Island ». At this time an elected community council was formed. The following year the commu-nity filed a claim for native rights witn the Indian Claims Commission in Washington, D.C., on behalf of St. Paul. In October 1965, the council took over trusteeship of the community canteen funds thus ma-king the store wholly owned and operated by St. Paul. Less than a year later the community opened Its own tavern and equipped a St. Paul operated maintenance and repair workshop. About the same time the council accepted more responsibility for police activities. By late summer of 1967 the community had taken over all retail outlets in St. Paul, to include the previously owned and operated government store. 

The North Pacific Fur Seal Industry. The Record of International Management

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The North Pacific Fur Seal Industry. The Record of International Management

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