Pribilof Islands

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The Pribilof Islands (often called the Fur Seal Islands, Russian: Kotovi) are a group of four volcanic islands, part of Alaska, lying in the Bering Sea, about 200 miles 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 away. About 200 square kilometers in total area, they are 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).

Map of the Pribilof Islands

The islands were first sighted in 1767 and were visited in 1788 by Gavriil Provolone, 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 do not 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.