178 HALIBUT FISHERIES. 



In March, 1869, Mr. Eeid, of Wick, reported to me a 

 halibut measuring 5ft. 10m. in length, 2ft. lOin. wide, 

 and 7m. thick. At the end of February, 1877, a 

 halibut was landed at Wick weighing 2cwt. 71b s., or 

 two hundi'ed and thirty-one pounds, length 7ft. lin. 

 The Jews are excessively fond of halibuts ; they mostly 

 come to the London markets in the spring months. "'■' 



There is a great halibut fishery in British Columbia ; 

 of this fishery the following interesting account is 

 given in " Scenes and Studies of Savage Life," j). 225. 

 The mode of fishing for halibut is " long lining." For 

 some reason or other the natives will not use a steel 

 hook in fishing for halibut. 



Their own halibut hook is curiously shaped, and is 

 made of a stringy tough part of the Douglas pine, or the 

 yew, which is steamed until it is flexible, when it re- 

 ceives its proper shape. The hook is of bone and has 

 no barb. The sides of the hook must be kept tightly 

 bound together until the time of using. 



The lines are made of seaweed, except for six or eight 

 feet from the hook, where they are of twisted twigs or 

 deer sinew. To make seaweed into a line, it is soaked 

 in fresh steam, and the water being afterwards squeezed 

 out with the hands, the line is rubbed with an oily cloth, 

 and afterwards dried in the sun. Clams or small 

 fishes are us6d for bait in fishing halibut. The fishing 

 season is March, April, May, and June. 



Thousands of halibut, some of them weighing more 

 than two hundred pounds are caught by the natives and 

 are exchanged for potatoes, gammass, rush mats, and 

 other articles. The best fishing grounds are about 

 twelves miles off the land ; but the halibut is also 



* Much valuable evidence relative to Halibuts is to be found in 

 our " Eeport on Deep Sea Fisheries, 1879."' 



