Excerpt from Glenn Farris, "Otter Hunting By Alaskan Natives Along the California Coast in the Early Nineteenth Century," Mains'l Haul 43, no. 3–4 (2007): 20–33.
However, it appears that the Russians continued to hunt on their own. In 1814 [Alexander] Baranov sent down a ship named the Il'mena. It had been formerly known as the Lydia, but was renamed when purchased by the Russian-American Company. This was the first "Russian" ship to venture south of the Farallones into southern California. It dropped off contingents of Alaskan hunters onto various Channel Islands [off modern- day Santa Barbara and Los Angeles].
Last updated: November 18, 2016