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7.-N()TMS()\ TIIH \\\\\W\ IMSllIiKV Ol- rill' N()RTII\V1:ST COAST I\ lSlir».

By a. B. ALKXANDKR, Fishery Fxprrt, Steaimr .Uhatross.

Tlie halil>ut flshery of the northwest <!oast has developed \\\U) an industry <»f
consideraldo importance, there iM'ing double the niunhrr of vessels en^ajjed in it tliat
tiu're were four years a^o. The denian<l for this fish five yeais ajjo was mostly limited
to loeal orders; now larj^'e shipments aie made to all parts of the West. Vov the past
two winters important shipments hitve been made to the Atlantic Coast by Canadian
tisiiermen. The American cat<'h finds a market in the States west of the Mississippi
Kiver. There bein^ less demand tor halibut in summer, the Canadian vessels continue
ill the fishery only a part of tlu, year.

Jn 1890 there were lamU'<l at various iM)ints on I'ujjet Sound 740,0(M) pounds of
halibut, valued at $16,7~»(). In IS'.H the amount increased to !M^i,0()<) [Kiunds, valued
at .*j;i,«2(>, and in 181)2 to 1,410,000 poun«ls, representing a value of $20,140. The
amount caught continues to increase yearly. From estiunites made by wholesale
dealers and fishermen it is safe to say tl"it about li,."i00,(MK) p()unds were landed in
l*ii};et Sound in 180r>. Two-thirds of this amount were taken in northern waters on
banks oft" Cape Scott, Vancouver Island, Hose Point, aud North Island, which lie olF
the northern end of (^ueen Charlotte Island.

For several winters past, one and sometimes two steam vessels ha\o fished for
halibut on the northern banks, sailing from Vancouver, Hritish Columbia. At first the
enterprise was not very successful, owing to the limited demand for halibut and also
to the inexiKM'ience of the fishermen. But it did not take long to find the best tishirig-
grojunls, and much valtuible time was thus saved. The success of these vessels caused
dealers atid fishermen of the Fast to become interested, and soon their capital was
invested, and in the winter of 1805-JKJ three steam vessels were fishing for halibut on
llie northern banks. Two sailed from Vancouver and one from Victoria. At Vancouver
the fishery is under the mamigement of Americans and is controlled by * jcrican
capital. It is estimated that the catch of these vessels was nearly half that of the
American tleet, or about 1,(M>0,000 pounds, nearly all of which was exjMirted to the
I'nited States. Fish landed at Victoria was shipped t(» Tiuionui; that which <!anie into
Vancouver was shipped ciist over the Canadian Pacific Railroad, and distributed over
the I<iastern States.

When this fishery began on the Pacific Coa,st, Port Townscnd was its centtM-, on
account of having better harbor accomnu)dations than nn)st places on Puget Sound,
but for the past few years Tacoma and Seattle, chiefly the latter, have absorbed the
tuisiness. This was brought about by their having much better shipping facilities
iind a larger population. Now only an occasional fare is landed at Port Townsend.
At (Mie time there were three wholesale and retail fish-dealers hero, but during the
past year there has been only one.

Itt

142

HUl.LF/riN OF TIIK UNITKI) STATr.S FISH COMMISSION.

Ni'arly all tin* lialiWnt raiij;li( on local hanks and in nortlinn wat«'is l»y Anu'iican
llslicrnu'n is landed at Si-alllo and Taconia. Kaiihavcn and Wliaicom, dnrinj; tln'
past lwt» years, liavr made sliipnicnts of liiililuil. but oidy in a small way as r(>iii|»ai*-d
witli Scatth'; litTrin^'. siiudts, and salmon an^ tlie lish ni(»stly sliippiMl from this
nortluMii part of ViiavX Sound This industry has incioased TiO per irnt in tlii'

|)ast year.

In lH«>r> there were IS small boats sailiufi from Tort Townsend, Seattle, and oflier
idaeeson I'u^'et Sound en^'a^nd in this fishery. These boats ranjied in si/e from ."» to
10 tons; most of them were sloops, but a few were sehooners. They rarry a crew ol
2 to I men. The smallest conline their fishin;^ to the banks otV Cape Flattery and in
the Straits of I'uca. .\ few of the laifjer boats make occasional trips \o ('ai)e Scott
an<l the (^u«'en ('harlotte Islands.

In a«ldition to the small boats there is a Meet of 10 larjrer tmes, ran;,'inj; from 18 lo
40 tons. averafjiiiK about 2.'» tons. Most of these are schooner ri^-f^ed antl were built
for the halil»ut fishery. This stylo of craft is the outgrowth of the small boats liisl
used. As more ?iorthern wateis were souf^ht. it was found that boats under 10 inns
were t«»o small either lor comfort or safety. They can be run economically, but lh»'
amount they carry is too small for tin' voya;;e to be remunerative. A few fishermen
have talk«'d of introducing sailing vessels of from 7.~» to 100 tons in this fishery, similar
to those employed on the Atlantic Coast. Such ves-sels would be very expensive, and
it is claimed that they would be less profitable than the vessels nmv employed. The
banks on this coast not being so large as those on the Atlantic, a fleet of 10 or lli
large ves.sels fishing in on<' locality would .soon tentporarily exhaust the supply, and
considerable time would be l<»st in searching for new grounds. The «'xperience of the
past few years shows that vessels of from .'?0 to 10 tons are best suited for the halibut
fishery on the Pacific Coast, and are the type most likely to be jised in the future.

In spring most i»f the snuill boats and someof the large ones fish on l-'lattery Bank
and adjacent grounds. As the .season advances halibut in this region grow scarce and
better fishing is found on local "spots" in the Straits (»f Kuca. During the spiing
and summer months good fishing is I'ound on small banks off the San .luan Islands
and in the vicinity of I'cr^ Townseml.

As the halibut fishery has iiu;reased, fishermen have been .searching for new-
grounds. The first ground of any importance «li.scovered north of Cape Flattery iJank
was in the vicinity of Cape Scott, on the northern end of Vancoiner Island. Malil)ut
were found here in consi<lerable nund>ers and it was thought that the ground cov«-red
a large area, but it was soon learned that the bank was small and the best localiti«'s
confine<l to small patches, found only by landmarks. On these places fish are some-
times very abundant, but no extensive fishing can be carried (»n. A fleet of vessels
would .soon exhaust the supply. FMshermen say that halibut on this ground are now
very .scarce as compared with two years ago.

The character of the bottom on the Cape Scott gr<mnd is ro<d\y. The weather
here at times is very stormy, making fishing very diflicult. Foggy weather prevails
for nuuiy days at a time, an<l at siu-h tinu^s when fish are scarce in one place it is not
ea.sy to find aiioth«'r ground, owing to the landnuirks being hidden from vu>w.

On .several occasions halibut on this ground have suddenly disappeared, and on
in^'ostigation th(^y were found on the north side of Hecate Strait, in the vicinity of
I'rovo.st Island. It was reported that a juolific ground was off Lyall Island, fnun 5 to
8 miles oil shore, but only .small catches have been taken there.

THK HAUnUT FISHERY OF THE NORTHWEST COAST

143

Oiu' of tlu' best t;r(iuiHls yet (liseovt'n-d lies oil" tli(> lutrflieru end of (Iraliiini
Island, between Hose Point and North Island. All alonj; tliis si'ore, a distanee of (»(»
miles. ;;ood lisliiii^r is t'onnd in tVoiri -'> to t(> tUthonis of water. 'I'lie buttoni is eiiietly
sand. l-'isli are I'oiiiid here in considerable iiund)ers at all seasons, but tliey are more
abnndant in the winter and fall months.

l-'rom Uose Point southward below Cape Fife nearly to White ('litis, a distance
(»l nearly 3(» miles, halibut aie al)undant. The bottom is sandy. an<l the water very
>«hallow, from I to ') fathoms bcinj;- the depth where the most lish are taken, \essels
on this j;ronnd are frecjuently in a daiifferous position, there bein;; nuiny barH and
slxKils not located on the chart. Wlien tishinfrotl" the northern end of (iraham Island,
the only shelter to be had when a j;ale suddenly (;oiues on from the northwest is
under the southeast side of Ifose Point. If vessels are lishin^; on this side of the
island, and the wind increases fresh from the eastward, they an' compelled to seek
shelter on the west side of Pose Point. When the wind blows here with any ^reat
force, the sea beiromes very rouyh. Fishermen say that it is a dan<;ei'ous locality,
aiul those not thoroujfhiy nc(piaintcd should {five it a wide berth.

Across Dixon Mntranee, on the south side of Prince of Wales Island, in thi^
vicinity of Nicholas P.ay and Cape Chacon, a few schooners have taken {iood fares.
Here, us at (!ape 8eott, the {fround is made up of snuill ''sj>ots," which can only be.
located by landuunks. Only a few vessels can tish on this {frouiul; it is said that
even a small tieel would soon exhaust the {fiound, not i»ermaneiitly, l)ut for some
wci'ks. The Indians of this locality catch lialibut here in considerable numbers, and
from these people tlu; white llshernu'n soon learn the best places.

The best banks, 8o far as discovered, are in the Canadian waters; few places in
southeastern Alaska have been ftuind where halibut aie in suidi abundance as on
the above UHMitioned j,n"ounds.

Canadian \e8.selslish uu)stly on jjnMindsotl" Banks. (ioschen,and Stephens islands,
which lie on the east side of Ilccate Streit. The bottom is composed of sand, shells,
and ])at(^hes of rock, with a depth of water varyiu}; from 0 to li't fathoms. .\ bank
juakes olV fiom the Warrior and Seal Kocks and extends nearly across the Strait to
(Jape l-'ife.

I'rom tiie nortiiern end of lianks Island to Shrub Islaiul on the south, and also o(!
(ioschenand Stephens islands, halibut are abundant during; the wiutei- months.

Around the (lardner Islands, which lie ^52 miles SF. by l-). from Hanks Island,
is a pMid fishiuji jiround. In the winter of 181>."», 90,000 pounds <»f halibut were caught
there by one vessel in three days. About IL' nules S. -l W . tVom the southern end of
(Jarduer Islands is a small bank covered by It fathoujs of water, where at seasons
halii)ut iiK- found in abundani^e; several tri|)S have been taken here.

Sixty miles farther south from the last place mentioned is a small bank olT the
north side of Hecate Island. Indians of this region tish with set lines. Few white
lisheruH-n have ever taken halibut here, thougli Imlians cat(di considerable (|uantities
near Kdlisnoo; but the groun«l is not large enough to induce a Heet of vessels to lish
on it. In many places around Prince of Wales Island halibut are i»lentiful, but there
are n(» extensive banks.

Halibut on the iu>rthern banks are sometimes \ery erratic; in places where they
are numerous one day few .viU be found the next. It, frequently liap]»ens that a
ves.sel will have gottd success for several days and in a few hours* time tish will

lliirtC?

144

BULLKTIN OK THE UNITKU STATES FISH COMMIKSION.

become NO scjucn that it is iiscIosn to iciiiaiii longer on tiie ground. FiNlieiinen ran
give no eaiise for tiiis Kiiddeii (lisaitpeuraiice otlier than tiial the haliimt are traveling
in schools, going from one bank to another, not stopping l(»ng at any one place.

On all the grounds halilxit are more plentiful in winter than in summer, anil are
scarcer in .hnu- than at any other time in the year. At this season they begin to
scatter all through the numerous bays and channels of llritish Columbia and south
eastern Alaska. At places where salmon canneries aie loi ated, halibut in consid«'rable
numbers are seen feeding o-i the olVal tiiat is tlirown away. In the fall months lewer
habbutare found among the islands; it is then that they seek more remote localities.
Fishermen say that on banks composed of rock, sand, and gravel bottom the food
of halibut is largely sand-hmce. In the viclidty of ifose Point their food is mostly
crabs, tho bottom being thickly covered witli that species. It is said that on ground
wliere re<l rocklish arc plentilul lew halibut may be looked (or.

Herring, both fresh and salt, is the bait principally used lor catching haliiiut.
Boats Sidling from I'uget Sound ports lay in a supply before starting out on a voyage.
It is gen«'rally kept on ice, although nunetimes a (jiiantity is salted. ('onsid«'rable
salt herring is used by tlu' Canadian vessels. When on llu' tlshing groumis the trawls
usually take large (juantities of small llsli of various spc<ti«'s, whit-h are not market-
able; these are also used for bait. Halibut, mtt being very particular as to what kind
of bait is presented to them, it is not at all dillicidt to satisfy theii- appetite, hoglish,
with the skin removed, makefi a very goo«l bait ; good cat<dies have been taken with it.
The |>rice (»f halibut on this coast does not lluctuatein the same manner as it does
in the Mast. While it sonn'times suddenly rises -t and a <'ents a pouinl. It seldom go«'s
above 10 cents a pound. The average juice tor 189"* and iStH) was Irnm L'-'/ to .{ cents
a pound. During the month of June several trips w«'re sold for a cent a pound. A
trip of 1,'(),(HM) pounds lay in the harbor of Seattle a Aveek without re«'eiving an otler,
the tish being linally taken to Taconia and sohl for a cent a pouiul. .\s a rule the
supply of halibut exceeds the <l' maud, kee[)ing the \mcv at a low tigure.

Halibut caught on Flattery IJank average about IS pounds; those taken on
grounds in the Straitsof Fucarun about 2."» pounds. Fish from the Straits are better
in (|uality than those from the otVshore grounds. The northern halibut are still
larger than those in the Straits of Fuca; tlu-y average fully 30. pounds, and occasion-
ally individuals weighing ITo and I'OO pounds are caught. .\s a rule, fish (d'this size
are inferior in quality, and many of them are not considered W(»rtli saving at all.

Frequently among the large halibut gray ones will be found, but few of this color
are found among small tish.

An occasional trip of lletched halibut is caught on the northern banks, but this
branch of the fishery has never been carried on very extensively, owing largely to the
light demand for smoked halibut on the I'acitic ( 'oast. A nuud)er of (iarloads of fresh
halibut 8liipi)ed east that did not meet with ready sale have been lletched and snudvcd.
Flet(;hes from northern halibut an; of gooil <|uality, but those from halibut caught in
tlje vicinity of Cape Flattery are not considerfed so good.

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