36 KEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



of taking an active part in freezing herring, as has always been the 

 custom, would merely supply the vessels with fish from the nets. 



At times the weather conditions were very unfavorable for fishing. 

 In January one schooner w^hile on a passage from Bonne Bay to Bay 

 of Islands encountered a heavy gale which drove her among the ice 

 and rocks about 8 miles north of Daniels Harbor, where she became 

 a total loss. Her crew was saved, but suffered gi'eatly from exposure, 

 the weather being extremely cold. The captain and one man were 

 badly frostbitten, but finally recovered. Several of the crew traveled 

 a distance of 120 miles on snowshoes to a pomt on the railroad, where 

 assistance was rendered by the American consul. 



Three of the vessels that were forced out of Bay of Islands on 

 account of the ice proceeded to Port aux Basques, on the south shore, 

 their agents remaining at Birchy Cove for the purpose of superin- 

 tending the taking of herring through the ice in the Ilumber. The 

 catch, as in the previous year, was shipj)ed by rail to Port aux Basques 

 and there loaded into the vessels. 



The season's yield amounted to 68,666 barrels of salted and 23,117 

 barrels of frozen herring, having a value of $457,816. 



The Atlantic halibut fishery is small comi)ared with that of the 

 Pacific coast, and is much less extensive than formerly. The quan- 

 tity of fresh and salt halibut landed at Boston and Gloucester in 

 recent years has varied but little, however, seldom exceeding three or 

 three and a half million pounds. Each year the same general area 

 of fishing ground is covered, extending from Georges Bank to Green- 

 land, Davis Strait, and sometimes Iceland. Georges Bank, Western 

 Bank, Quereau, La Have, and Cape Shore grounds furnish the greatest 

 amount of fresh halibut, while the trips of fletched fish come from 

 Davis Strait, Greenland, Iceland, and Baffin Bay. 



Bacalieu Bank, sometimes called "The Funks," which extends 

 several hundred miles along the eastern coast of Newfoundland, and 

 was at one time an important halibut ground, was visited by a large 

 fleet for a number of years, and is said to have been overfished. In 

 the last few years the catches on that bank have been comparatively 

 small. On the other hand, other abandoned grounds have been re- 

 sorted to again and have afforded profitable fishing. Thus, good 

 trips of halibut have recently been taken on Emerald Bank, which 

 had not been visited for many years, and a portion of La Have Bank 

 has also attracted a larger number of vessels than usual. 



An interesting feature of the fisheries in 1911 was the appearance on 

 the New England coast of larger numbers of swordfish than were ever 

 seen there before, resulting in a corresjjondingly large catch. Some 

 vessels took from 150 to 200 fish in trips lasting 10 days, and more 

 .than 1 ,000 fish were landed in Boston in one day. The fishing grounds 

 cover a wide area, extending coastwise from Block Island to the 



