PACIFIC COD FISHERIES 399 



The schooner Vega fished on this bank, to the south of Simeonofski 

 Island, in 1913 and 1914, and was compelled to use a couple of shots 

 of chain next to the anchor in the latter year, having lost an anchor 

 the previous year because a rope cable was employed. Owing to_ 

 this danger and to the strong tides, few vessels ever have made a 

 practice of fishing on this bank, although the fish rank in quality 

 next to those caught on the Sannak and Slime Banks. 



The area between the Shumagin Islands and Kodiak is very imper- 

 fectly known, largely because the fishing vessels do not frequent it. 

 preferring to visit the better known banks. The Albatross (in 

 1888) ran a single series of soundings across this wide area, with a 

 double line extending from the neighborhood of Lighthouse Rock- 

 to Mitrofania Bay. These showed on the single line depths of 20 

 to 137 fathoms, while the double line showed depths of 44 to 73 

 fathoms. 



Albatross Bank. — This bank lies off the southeastern side of Kodiak 

 Island and extends the entire length of that island as well as in front 

 of the Trinity Islands. At the eastern end it is almost continuous 

 with Portlock Bank. Along some portions of the coast, as in the 

 neighborhood of Sitkalidak Island, the bank is separated from the 

 land by comparatively deep water, while in other places shoal water 

 intervenes. The 100-fathom curve is distant 25 to 45 miles from 

 the land, inside of which limit there is an estimated area of 3,700 

 square miles. Depths from 40 to 60 fathoms are most common on 

 the bank. Beyond the 100-fathom line the slope is very abrupt. All 

 varieties of bottoms occur, sand being most prevalent and rocky 

 patches common. 



Prof. George Davidson, one of the earliest investigators of the 

 fishing banks off this portion of the Alaska coast, predicted the 

 existence of this bank upon the evidence of a few isolated soundings. 

 The bank was later named after the Albatross, which surveyed it. 



In the early years of this industry this bank was frequented by 

 small vessels with headquarters at Kodiak, but as most of the fish 

 taken are smaller than on the other offshore banks, it has not been 

 much resorted to except during the past seven or eight years. 



Portlock Bank. — Portlock Bank extends northeastward from Ko- 

 diak Island to about longitude 148° 30' west, a distance of 110 to 

 120 miles, and is widest at the western end. Its outline, as indicated 

 by the 100-fathom curve, is irregular. It is the largest single bank 

 south of the Alaska Pennisula, its area inside the 100-fathom curve 

 being about 6,800 square miles. The boundaries of this bank have 

 not been established conclusively as }^et, and eventually it may turn 

 out to be much larger than is supposed. No soundings were made by 

 the Albatross nearer than 16 miles south of the Kenai Peninsula. 

 Between longitudes 150° and 151° west the bank abruptly narrows, 

 and thence maintains a width of 35 to 45 miles to its eastern end. 

 There is a broad indentation, with depths of 102 to 166 fathoms, on 

 the southern side; depths of 105 to 122 fathoms occur just off the 

 northern border, and 106 to 761 fathoms off the eastern end, close 

 to the 100-fathom curve. 



The soundings made by the Albatross between longitude 150° wesl 

 and the eastern end of the bank, inside of the 100-fathom line, show 



