Pribilof Islands

The Pribilof Islands are four volcanic islands in the Bering Sea, with a combined land area of about 75 square miles (194 km²), about 200 miles north of Unalaska. St. Paul and St. George are the main islands. Discovered by the Russian navigator Gavriil Pribylov in 1786–87, they hold a major northern fur seal breeding ground and about two million nesting seabirds, and are part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge [1].

Geography

The four volcanic islands lie about 200 miles north of Unalaska and 200 miles southwest of Cape Newenham, with the Siberian coast roughly 500 miles to the northwest. St. Paul and St. George are the principal islands, with Otter and Walrus islets near St. Paul. The islands are part of the Bering Sea unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge [1].

Discovery

Gavriil Pribylov, working for the Lebedev-Lastochkin Company, found St. George in 1786 while searching for northern fur seal breeding grounds and reached St. Paul in 1787. The rookeries he visited reportedly held more than four million seals. Aleut oral traditions indicate the islands were known but rarely visited, and archaeological evidence does not show Native occupation before the Russian period [1].

Fur Seal Harvest

Under the Russian-American Company’s monopoly, Russians brought Aleut workers to the islands for the seal harvest, and their descendants formed the permanent communities. The United States set the islands aside as a seal reservation in 1869 and leased sealing rights to the Alaska Commercial Company in 1870. The North American Commercial Company held the monopoly from 1890 to 1910 [1]. See the entry on the fur trade in Russian America.

Conservation

Overhunting at sea led to regulation, and the North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911 was signed by the United Kingdom, Japan, Russia and the United States. The Fur Seal Act of 1966 banned seal hunting in the Pribilofs except for subsistence hunting by Aleuts [1].

World War II Evacuation

In 1942 U.S. authorities removed Aleut residents of St. Paul and St. George because of Japanese attacks on the Aleutians and sent them to Funter Bay in Southeast Alaska, where they endured poor conditions. The Aleut Restitution Act of 1988 addressed the wartime removal and losses [1]. See the entry on Attu and Kiska in World War II.

Communities and Economy

St. Paul had 413 residents in the 2020 census and St. George 102. St. Paul’s economy relies heavily on the annual snow crab harvest and halibut fishing, along with support services for Bering Sea fleets and government jobs. A U.S. Coast Guard base is on St. Paul [1].

Wildlife

More than 210 bird species have been recorded, and an estimated two million seabirds nest there each year. St. Paul’s Ridge Wall is a popular birdwatching site [1]. See the entries on the Bering Sea and the Wildlife of Alaska.

FAQs

Where are the Pribilof Islands? In the Bering Sea, about 200 miles north of Unalaska.

Who discovered them? Gavriil Pribylov, in 1786–87.

What animals live there? Northern fur seals and millions of seabirds.

Who lives there? Unangax̂ (Aleut) communities on St. Paul and St. George.

Is seal hunting allowed? Only subsistence hunting by Aleuts since the Fur Seal Act of 1966.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Pribilof Islands

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 12, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue