REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. CLI 



Station No. 5 was in 581 fathoms, mud and sand, in latitude 36° 43' 

 N., longitude 122° 12' W. The beam trawl at this position brought up 

 about a dozen large macrura, the same number of rockfish and small 

 flounders, spider-crabs, and many other forms. Easter Sunday inter- 

 vened, and as a long search had to be made to recover the station the 

 nets were in position 48 hours, and when hauled contained a number of 

 macrura and black-cod; nets badly torn, presumably by sharks. This 

 station is probably the deepest gill-net station that has ever been made, 

 and it is doubtful if macrura have ever before been gilled. 



Station No. C was made in 56 fathoms, sand and mud, in latitude 

 37° 00' 30" N., longitude 122° 20' 30" W. The beam trawl indicated live 

 bottom, but the nets, after lishiug 40 hours, were empty when hauled. 

 The conditions at this time were very unsatisfactory; heavy wind and 

 sea prevailed, so that the gear could hardly be handled, but the nets 

 were well set, for they were clear when hauled. 



Station No. 7 was in 68 fathoms, in latitude 37^ 37' 30" N., longitude 

 123c> 02' W. The beam trawl indicated rocky bottom, the trawl net 

 being badly cut. The gill nets fished 18 hours, and brought in large 

 numbers of rockfish, several black-cod, raffish, dogfish, skates, etc. 



These stations were all made between April 13 and 24. En route to 

 Alaska gill nets were set 4 miles SW. from the Tatoosh Island light 

 (entrance to Straits of Fuca) in 77 fathoms, live bottom, as indicated 

 by the beam trawl, and were fished for about 20 hours ; they brought 

 in 1 black-cod, 1 flounder, numerous dogfish, aud (rolled up in a few 

 fragments of what had been a net) a ground shark lOf feet long. 



It was intended to continue this work a few days ofl" Cape Flattery, 

 but the weather was so unfavorable that all further trials were aban- 

 doned, and the vessel entered the sound to complete her preparations 

 for work in Alaska. 



Deep-sea gill nets, I think, can be used to 1,000 fathoms if the proper 

 gear and projyer iceather conditions are obtained. The nets furnished the 

 Albatross were not specially rigged and consisted of three salmon gill 

 nets and three cod gill nets, all 30 yards long of 16-6 flax, and hung to 

 6- thread tarred manila. The salmon nets were: One 53 meshes, 6-inch; 

 45 meshes, 7-inch; and 40 meshes 8-inch; floats, 1 fathom apart. The 

 cod nets were 1 each: 24 meshes, 0-iuch; 21 meshes, 7-inch; 18 meshes, 

 8-inch; floats, 2 fathoms apart. The floats used were glass, and alter- 

 nate ones on the salmon nets removed. The lower corner of the nets 

 were anchored with 10-pound Chester folding anchors. The buoy line 

 was 6 and thread stuff and usually from a third to a half the dejith of 

 water was added to stray line. The hauling was done from boats by a 

 small hand winch. This could have been done from the vessel by steam 

 winch, but there was danger of carrying away the light gear, not only 

 by the heavy strain of the winch, but by the jump of the vessel in a 

 seaway. For hauling by steam specially heavy gear will be necessary. 



The buoys were ordinary trawl-line buoys, the number increasing 

 with the depth of the set. At 581 fathoms four buoys were used on 



