1964 Alaska Fur Seal Investigations

June 28, 1964

Complete protection of female seals was one of the principles followed in restoring the reduced Pribilof seal population, after signing of the Fur Seal Convention of 1911. The steady growth of the population from 1911 to about 1940 illustrated the effectiveness of this principle. After 1940 the failure of the kill of males and the number of harem bulls to increase raised doubts about the population figures in use and the wisdom of continuing current management methods indefinitely.