424 U. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



These were sold to the fishermen and were to be paid for out of the 

 season's catch. The use of these engines did not prove satisfactory 

 for a number of reasons, viz : The men generally knew nothing 

 about their operation and care and grossly neglected them; the 

 weight of the motor cut down the number of fish the dory could 

 carry; while in rough weather, with the motor going and a load of 

 fish aboard, the dory would ship heavy seas. 



In recent years small gasoline launches have become a factor in 

 the Alaska station fishing. Some of these are dories, some Columbia 

 River type boats, while others are of nondescript types. Gasoline 

 engines ranging from 2 to 12 horsepower have been installed in them. 

 The chief disadvantage in the use of these in early days was that 

 the regular hand-line fishermen operating from dories refused gen- 

 erally to permit the operators of these power boats to join with 

 them in dressing the catch, and as a result they had to have a sep- 

 arate dress house, and unless there were enough of them to form a 

 regular dress gang they found the business of dressing the fish 

 rather laborious. As the number of power-boat fishermen increased 

 at the various stations, however, this disadvantage was obviated. 

 The companies also aided by concentrating the power fishermen at 

 certain convenient stations. Two or more men generally go in the 

 power boats, and as they are enabled to go with perfect safety to the 

 outer and less-worked banks, their daily catch is much larger pro- 

 portionately than that of the regular hand liners. The use of power 

 also gives them a considerable advantage over the regular dory men, 

 as they can go out in weather that would compel the sail and row 

 dories to remain in port, and can go much farther away from the 

 station and be sure of being able to get back. 



The number of these boats is increasing yearly, and it is to be hoped 

 that they will continue to increase, as the owners of them are among 

 the most industrious of the fishermen — men who do not waste all 

 they make in riotous living, as is the custom with the majority of 

 fishermen. The larger companies never have encouraged the use of 

 power boats, as they feared that in time the men operating them 

 would become too independent and eventually become station owners 

 themselves. 



Nearly every hand-line fisherman carries a sail in his dory. The 

 mainsail usually is of the leg-of-mutton type. Some have a jib, while 

 a few also use a staysail. The sails generally are made of sheeting, 

 which is much lighter than canvas. Fishermen are expected to fur- 

 nish their own sails, together with the necessary mast and boom. 

 For a number of years the companies provided these articles, but 

 so many of the men failed to return them when paid off that the 

 practice had to be abandoned. 



LAY OF THE CREW 



The methods followed in handling the catch and the lay of the 

 crew are radically different from those on the Atlantic cod vessels. 

 On eastern vessels the men catch and dress the fish and divide their 

 share of the proceeds equally. On Pacific vessels the fishermen have 

 nothing to do with dressing the fish, this being done by one or two 

 dress gangs (the number depending upon the size of the vessel), 

 the members of which are paid monthly wages, which begin the 



