Fur Seal Management 1. Evolution of Fur Seal Management of the Pribilof Islands. 2. The Northern Fur Seal. 1963. Ralph C. Baker, Ford Wilke, and C. Howard Baltzo. Dept. of Interior Circular 169. 3. Fur Seal Investigations, 1970. Marine Mammal Biological Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle, Wash. 4. Veterinary Medicine in Conservation and Management of Marine Mammal Resources. 1970. J. R. Geraci, V.M.D., Ph.D., and Mark C. Keyes, D.V.M., J.A.V.M.A., Vol. 157, No. 11:1970-1974. Canadian Sealing 1. The Atlantic Seal Fishery. Dept. of Fisheries and Forrestry, New Brunswick, Canada. 2. Report to the New Brunswick SPCA of Observations during the 1968 Gulf of St. Lawrence Seal Hunt. Lars Karstad, D.V.M., Ph.D., Chairman, Dept. Wildlife Disease and Zoonoses, U. of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. 3. Sealing: The Animal and the Human Being. Inger-Johanne Jelisen Haave, Veterinary Surgeon. 1968. The Animal's Friend, Norwegian Society for the Protection of Animals. Allegations by Humane Societies - Letters, Bulletins, and 1. The Pribilof Fur Seal Harvest: 1967. A Report by Brian D. Davies, sponsored by humane societies in Switzerland, Germany, the United States and Canada. 2. Letter dated 7 February, 1968, from the Humane Society of the United States to Secretary Udall alleging cruelty in the annual Pribilof seal hunt. 3. Letter dated March 15, 1968, from the Humane Society of the United States to Deputy Assistant Secretary Pautzke, alleging cruel methods of harvesting in the Pribilof seal harvest. 4. Letter dated 14 Oct., 1970, from ISPA to BCF regarding the unfavorable report by John Walsh of sealing practices in the Pribilof Islands in 1970. 5. HSUS Newsletter dated Oct. 1970, alleging new high in fur seal hunt brutality and failure to implement recommendations for shortening and improving drive paths. 6. Advertisement in July 1970 issue of Popular Dogs Magazine alleging that 50,000 white baby harp seals are killed on the ice of the Pribilof Islands every year. 7. Slaughter on the Pribilofs. of Animals, Inc. Fall report. Responses to Allegations 1. 2. 3. 1970. Alice Herrington. Friends Memorandum from Veterinarian, MMBL, BCF, Sandpoint NAS, Seattle, Newspaper article, Seattle Times, Feb. 15, 1970. Emotions, Memorandum from Program Director, MMRP, Seattle, Wash., to Acting Assistant Director for Management and Services, NMFS, Washington, D.C. Subject: Response to HSUS Newsletter regarding alleged failure to implement 1968 Task Force recommendations. REPORT OF THE VETERINARY PANEL PART I September 1971 INTRODUCTION The Pribilof Islands of Alaska are situated in the Bering Sea approximately 300 miles west of the mainland and 200 miles north of the Aleutian Islands chain. Of the five islands, two (St. George and St. Paul) are inhabited. The native residents consist of approximately 600 people whose ancestry traces back to Aleuts brought to the Pribilofs as slaves for the purpose of harvesting fur seals for their Russian masters. The islands are the principal breeding grounds for the northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus). These marine mammals are migratory creatures who follow an increasingly well defined pattern of annual migration. Approximately eighty per cent of the world population of northern fur seals return to the Pribilofs each year during the months of April through November. The older, sexually mature animals return to give birth to seal pups and to breed. The immature and elderly apparently return instinctively. The chronology of arrival of seals on the islands' beaches is determined by age and maturity. The older more mature males (bulls) arrive first and establish "territories". This is followed by arrival of the females (cows) and the older sexually immature males (bachelors). The females join the bulls in their territories and form harems which include an average of 40 cows. The bachelors are excluded from these groups and arrange themselves around the fringes of the breeding territories (rookeries) in areas known as "hauling" grounds. Because of this polygamous harem system of breeding and because seals are born in an approximately 1:1 sex ratio, an excess number of males results. It is this group of excess males that is annually harvested as 3 and 4 year olds primarily during the month of July. Since 1911 the U.S. Government has managed the harvest of the seals. At that time pelagic and terrestrial sealing practices by Canada, Japan, Russia, and the U.S. had reduced the number of seals to approximately 200,000 and a treaty was effected in order to prevent their total extinction. Extensive studies of the biology of the seals were begun in the early 1940's and have continued to the present date. Accordingly, wildlife conservationists have elected to remove approximately 40,000-50,000 of these surplus bachelor males primarily at age 3-4 (a few 2, 5, and 6 also). Considerable evidence is available to support the fact that this practice will sustain the herd at its present size (approximately 1.3 million) which is considered nearly optimum under present conditions. In conducting the harvest, bachelor males are grouped at the hauling grounds by men who interpose themselves between the group and the shoreline and prevent the escape of the bachelors to the sea. They are then driven away in small groups from the rocky slopes to "killing fields" on more level terrain a short distance away from the hauling grounds. Here smaller groups of seals are separated from the larger group. These are driven a short distance where a group of men wielding five-foot hardwood clubs or bats render each seal unconscious, by a forceful blow to the head. Immediately following this, each seal is exsanguinated by opening the thorax with a knife and puncturing the heart or severing the great vessels associated with the heart and lungs. The animal dies during or following this procedure without regaining consciousness. After death the skin is skillfully removed from the carcass at the killing site. Skins are ultimately processed on the islands for shipping to a plant in South Carolina for tanning. The genital organs are removed from the carcass and processed on the islands for sale in the Orient where they are used as a purported aphrodisiac. The remainder of the carcass is processed by grinding, packaging and freezing prior to shipment to other states where the product is used as food for commercially raised mink and ferrets. Inhabitants of the islands derive their livelihood from the fur seal industry. There is no other industrial employment available. PROBLEM There is growing concern among U.S. citizens for the humaneness of and necessity for harvesting the northern fur seals. Many claims of inhumane procedures have been alleged by individuals and certain special interest groups. These allegations include items such as: 1. Extreme physical and psychological stress to 2. Slaughter of baby seals. 3. 4. Sadistic tendencies on the part of employees Deficiences in the killing methods which allow 5. Skinning seals while they are still alive This special panel was assembled to evaluate the humaneness of the slaughtering procedures practiced on St. Paul Island during the 1971 harvest. OBJECTIVES The panel was charged with the following specific responsibilities: 1. 2. To observe current methods of slaughter from To suggest research which might lead to more GENERAL ACTIVITIES OF THE PANEL Panelists reviewed pertinent literature prior to their arrival and were in residence on St. Paul Island from 7-6-71 to 7-14-71. On five regular working days the panelists observed the harvesting procedures. All major killing sites were inspected, and all except Tolstoi, Kitovi and Lukanin were visited while the harvest was in progress. All procedures including the roundup |