Pili^ 



made in the region adjacent to the 

 22-fathom peak which are summarized 

 in Table 7 and plotted on figure 39. 

 An examination of the table vd.ll re- 

 veal that the red snapper and Ver- 

 million rock fish ( Sebastodes miniatus ) . 

 were taken in the greatest quantities. 

 Other fish were taken in only small 

 amounts; however, the presence of 

 halibut in the region indicates that 

 possible future exploration might 

 yield a potential fishing ground. Al- 

 though some catches contained red 

 snapper and vermillion rockfish in 

 fair eunounts, a number of difficulties 

 stand in the way of the development of 

 an offshore fishery in this area. The 

 considerable distance offshore would 

 necessitate having navigational equip- 

 ment capable of ascertaining the vessel's position accurately within several miles. 

 The coot of such a trip would require the fish to have a high market value and to 

 be in such quantities as to make the operation worthwhile. 



FIGURE 42 - GROUND LONG-LINE GEAR READY TO BE SET 

 FROM THE STERN OF THE COBB . THE GEAR PAYS OUT 

 OVER THE METAL CHUTE AS THE VESSEL RUNS AHEAD. 



Observations on Marine Life 



As fishing operations were carried on only by long-line gear, the variety 

 of specimens taken was necessarily selective to fish vrtiich coxild be taken by this 

 method. It was quite apparent that rockfish were an important part of the sea- 

 mount's fish population. Red snapper, Sebastodes ruberrimus . and the vermillion 

 rockfish, Sebastodes miniatus . were the most common types taken. Other fish taken 

 in lesser amounts included flyfish, Sebastodes rhodochloris , blue shark, Prionace 

 glauca . big skate, Ra.ja binoculata . halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis , and the rock 

 sole, Lepidopsetta bilineata . The environmental conditions generally found in 

 regions frequented by halibut would seem to indicate the presence of a certain 

 amount of gravel or sandy, mud bottom as concluded previously. 



The surface waters in the region of the seamount were abundant with long, 

 chain formations of diatoms of the genus Rhizosolenia , A few forms of starfish 

 were collected which included the many-footed sun stars, Pycnopoda sp., and members 

 of the brittle stars, genus Ophiura . The sea pen, Stylauta elongata . and a few 

 whelks of the genus Argobuccinium were also taken. 



A most notable condition throughout the period the vessel operated in 

 the waters over the seamount was the intense increase in bird activity. At all 

 times large numbers of Beals petrels and the forked-tailed petrels could be seen 

 along with black-footed albatross, sooty shearwaters, and jaegers. Other birds 

 observed were the Foresters tern and the arctic tern. One unidentified duck was 

 also noticed. This increase in bird activity from that which is normally found in 

 the offshore areas was an indication that the waters of the seamount were a fertile 

 region for the production of marine life and might well be a feeding area for pe- 

 lagic fishes. 



52 



