Everything about The Pribilof Islands totally explained
The
Pribilof Islands (often called the
Fur Seal Islands,
Russian:
Kotovi) are a group of four
volcanic islands, part of the
US state of
Alaska, lying in the
Bering Sea, about 200 miles (320 km) north of
Unalaska and 200 miles south of
Cape Newenham, the nearest point on the
North American mainland. The
Siberian coast is roughly 500 miles (800 km) away. About 200
km² (80
sq mi) in total area, they're mostly rocky, covered with meadow and
tundra, and support a
human population of 684 (
2000 census), concentrated in the
towns of
St. Paul and
St. George, each on an island of the same name.
The principal islands are
St. Paul (named from St. Peter and St. Paul's Day, on which it was discovered) and
St. George (probably named after Pribilof's ship). The
Otter and
Walrus islets are near St. Paul. The total land area of all the islands is 194.436 km² (75.072 sq mi).
The islands were first sighted in 1767 and were visited in 1788 by
Gavriil Pribilof, who discovered the
fur seal (
Callorhinus ursinus) rookeries for which they became famous. From
Russia, the islands passed with Alaska to the
United States in 1867. From 1870 to 1890, the United States government leased the islands to the
Alaska Commercial Company. From 1890 through 1910, the
North American Commercial Company held the monopoly on seal-hunting on the islands, but the industry shrank considerably owing to pelagic sealing.
Under the
Fur Seal Act of 1966, hunting of these seals is forbidden in the Pribilof Islands with the exception of subsistence hunting by Indians,
Aleuts, and
Inuit who live on the islands.
Today, the City of Saint Paul, located on
St. Paul Island, has a population of 532 (2000 census). The economy is heavily dependent on the annual opilio ("
snow crab") fishery, and also on subsistence and commercial
halibut harvests. Marine support services to the various commercial fleets plying the waters of the Bering Sea also contributes to the
economy. The balance of economic activity on the island is government activity. The
United States Coast Guard maintains a base and
LORAN-C Master station on St. Paul. The
National Weather Service maintains a station on the island, and
NOAA maintains a significant presence there as well.
St. George, on
St. George Island, has a smaller population of 152. The economy is similar to that of St Paul. Many of the residents of the islands are related. The islands are home to a majority of Alaska's Aleut population.
The Pribilof Islands are widely known as a
birdwatching paradise, home to many birds that don't occur in North America beyond Alaska. Over 240 different species of birds have been identified there, and an estimated two million seabirds nest there annually. St. Paul, especially, is popular with
birdwatchers, having a high
cliff wall, known as Ridge Wall, above the Bering Sea.
Further Information
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