Refuge Units

Look Closer . . . St. George Island, Pribilofs

Bering Sea sets a banquet table
– seabirds and fur seals
create "Galapagos of the North"

An Awesome Sight

Brace yourself against the wind and look over the soaring cliffs of the island to see "uncountable" birds in the air, on rocky ledges, and in the water below. More than two million seabirds nest on St. George Island. (Another quarter million nest on nearby St. Paul and Otter islands in the Pribilof group.) The beaches echo with the roar of nearly one million northern fur seals, as bulls fight over territories and cows give birth or feed new pups.

Pribilof Seabird Dozen

Thick-billed murres
Common murres
Red-legged kittiwakes
Black-legged kittiwakes
Least auklet
Parakeet auklet
Crested auklet
Northern fulmar
Horned puffins
Tufted puffins
Red-faced cormorant
Glaucous-winged gull

Seeing "Red"

All the world’s red-legged kittiwakes nest in only four locations in the Bering Sea. They nest here in the Pribilofs, on two islands in the Aleutians (Bogoslof and Buldir), and in Russia on the Commander Islands (just west of the Aleutians). The colony on St. George used to be the biggest and healthiest with almost 80% (222,000) of all the world’s red-legged kittiwakes. Lately the colony is shrinking, and the refuge is trying to learn why. Learn more.

Dining on the Edge

The contours of the sea floor near the Pribilofs hold the secret to the islands’ biological wealth. The shallow continental shelf breaks to plunge a mile down into deep ocean. Here currents tumble and rise, mixing all sorts of nutrients needed to fuel marine food chains. The islands’ varied seabird species, all with different food choices and eating habits, can find what they need within flying distance from their nests.

Female fur seals roam farther from the islands. They chase small schools of pollock and squid 60 to 100 miles (100 to 160 km) offshore. Some seals remain hunting at sea for 4 to 10 days before returning to feed their pups.

Nowhere Else in the World

On the other end of the size scale from the 600-pound fur seal bulls, the tiny Pribilof shrew (weighing no more than a few paperclips) lives nowhere else in the world but on these islands.

Ice Walkers

Foxes moved to the Pribilofs on their own, without help from fur farmers. New arrivals can come from the mainland any time the winter pack ice pushes beyond its normal limits and surrounds the Pribilofs.

Rats - Worse than Oil Spills

Battle lines have been drawn in the Pribilofs. "No rats allowed" say the local residents, and refuge staff are working to keep the Pribilofs rat free. Development of harbors on the islands and increased ship traffic nearby raises the risk of rats escaping from infested cargoes or from shipwrecks. Once ashore, rats would decimate nesting seabirds and be virtually impossible to remove. You can help in the fight against rats

History of Shame ... and Survival

The ancestors of the current Aleut residents were brought here like slaves to harvest fur seals, first in 1787 for Russian fur traders and then for the American government after purchase of Alaska in 1867. During the Japanese invasion of Alaska in 1942, the Pribilovians were sent to live in abandoned canneries and mines in Southeast Alaska and not allowed to return except for seal harvests until 1944. They were finally granted the right to own their own homes in 1966.

Visitors Welcome

St. George and St. Paul visitors to show off the Pribilofs’ seabirds and fur seals and to tell their story of their history and culture. Both islands have airports, tourist facilities, and some roads. Visitor information

Notes on other Bering Sea Refuge lands

St. Paul Island - twin of St. George, 12 miles away. The islanders developed a harbor and facilities for commercial fishing when their original industry, government harvest of the fur seals, ended in 1983. The seabird cliffs were purchased in 1982 for addition to the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Visitor information

St. Matthew Island (and Hall and Pinnacle islands) - An Official Wilderness Area since 1970, the islands’ seabird colonies rival these of the Pribilofs. Walrus come ashore to rest. Polar bears once lived here year-round until explorers shot the last by 1899. President Teddy Roosevelt named these islands the Bering Sea Refuge in 1909. This is the most remote location in all of Alaska.

Last updated:September 8, 2008