FBESH HALIBUT FISHERY. 61 



to the gear being too small to hold them. The Mystic also found fair halibut fishing near the 

 same place, but in shoal water. The fish were of excellent quality, but evidently their occurrence 

 there was accidental, or at least very temporary. Had their presence in this locality been perma- 

 nent in the least degree, the region would have soon been covered by the trawl-lines of the halibut 

 fleet. 



Two events of a remarkable character, and which seem worthy of particular mention, occurred 

 during the seasons of 1881-'S2. These were (1) the discovery of a new fishing ground, and (2) the 

 occurrence, at a season when it was least to be expected, of halibut in almost unequaled numbers in 

 a well-known and long-frequented region. 



During most of the season of 1881, and particularly in the fall, halibut were scarce on most of 

 the fishing grounds along the edge of the outer banks. Consequently, the inducement was great 

 for the skippers to seek new and untried fields, where perhaps fish might be found in undisturbed 

 abundance. With this end in view, Capt. George A. Johnson, of the schooner Augusta H. John- 

 son, in the autumn of 1881, crossed the Grand Bank and fished in the deep water on its eastern 

 slope, where, so far as I know, no systematic research had previously been made. I was told by 

 an acquaintance several years ago that a vessel had sought for halibut along the eastern edge of 

 the Grand Bank as early as 1877, but had failed to find any, the skipper reporting that the bottom 

 declined so suddenly that it was useless to attempt to anchor or set trawls. The recent researches 

 in this region have shown that the statement was entirely wrong, and give reason to doubt the prob- 

 ability of the vessel having visited the deep water on the east side of the Bank. Anchoring in 110 

 fathoms, latitude 43 55' N., longitude 49 8' W., Capt. Johnson found halibut plenty, and made 

 large catches on trawls set to the eastward of his vessel and in somewhat deeper water. In six 

 days' fishing he secured a fare of between 50,000 and 60,000 pounds of halibut, most of which 

 were large "gray" fish. It is somewhat remarkable that when halibut are found on grounds not 

 previously fished on a large percentage of the catch are generally "gray" fish, and with rare 

 exceptions these are above the average size. Instances are somewhat uncommon where medium- 

 sized "white" halibut have predominated on newly-tried fields, but occasionally such cases have 

 occurred. After several years' fishing in one locality the quality of the halibut generally im- 

 proves, the fish being of smaller size and in finer condition. 



The same schooner on her next trip this time commanded by another man revisited the new 

 ground, but the winter season had then so far advanced that there was a constant succession of 

 furious gales. The prevalence of strong northerly winds caused an unusually rapid flow of the 

 polar current, which often sweeps down by the eastern side of the Grand Bank with such velocity 

 as to render fishing nearly impracticable, and in consequence of this combination of unfavorable 

 circumstances very little was accomplished. In the spring of 1882 Captain Johnson went to this 

 place again and had remarkable success. His good fortune was soon noised abroad, whereupon 

 many of the other halibut schooners made similar ventures, the result being that the eastern side 

 of the Grand Bank was pretty thoroughly tried over from latitude 43 15' to 44 30' north, in 

 depths varying from 100 to 300 fathoms. At many points along this stretch halibut were abun- 

 dant, but a strong polar current caused the fishermen much loss of gear, while the prevalence of 

 dense fogs, together with the proximity of numerous icebergs, rendered fishing iu that locality so 

 hazardous that the majority of the skippers were glad to resort to other grounds, even where, per- 

 haps, the prospect of finding large numbers of fish was not so good. Several of the vessels lost 

 most of their trawls before they had secured a full fare, and few that fished on the eastern side of 

 the Bank returned to port without having met with some damage to their gear. Where strong- 

 currents prevail in deep water the buoys which mark the position of the trawl-lines are dragged 



