INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ALBATROSS. 139 



veuiences and mucli valuable iuformation at our disposal while engaged 

 in making a survey of the rookeries ou St. Paul and St. George. 



During the year just ended the cruising-ground of the Albatross has 

 been between the 38th and GOth parallels of north latitude and the 

 122d and 180th meridians of west longitude. She has been under way 

 and steaming 112 days and has made 13,181.3 nautical miles. 



NOTES ON FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS FROM JULY 1 TO 26, 1894. 

 By a. B. Alexander, Fishery Expert. 



As the Albatross vfn^ engaged On sealing patrol duty during the sum- 

 mer of 1894, comi^aratively little time was available for fishing trials. 

 The data herein set forth were gathered while the writer was attached 

 to the ship before his transfer to the sealing schooner Louis Olsen. 



On July 1 a trial was made with hand lines for bottom fish in 37 

 fathoms at station 3497, latitude 50° 59' N., longitude 103° 48' W. 

 Nothing was caught here, although thirty minutes were given to the 

 trial, long enough, under ordinary circumstances, to test the bottom 

 as to the abundance of food-fishes. 



The following day, two hours were devoted to hauling the seine in 

 Akutan Harbor. The beaches where seining was carried on were quite 

 steep and rough, there being many sharp rugged bowlders lying from 

 50 to 150 feet from the shore. The character of these beaches did not 

 indicate an abundance of fish. Several hauls were made on both sides 

 of the harbor. The result, however, was far from satisfactory; two 

 small flounders, several sand-lance, and a red-spotted trout were the 

 catch. About 2 miles from where the Albatross was anchored, toward 

 the head of the bay or harbor, there is a smooth beach; the water is 

 much shallower than where we hauled the seine, and there are also 

 fewer rocks — a much better place for collecting than where our investi- 

 gations were made. There are likewise several small streams which 

 flow down the mountain side into the head of the bay, at the mouths of 

 which salmon are said to be plentiful. Our time being limited, it was 

 not deemed advisable to go so far away from the ship, and in conse- 

 quence our search was confined more diligently to the barren places 

 than it otherwise would have been. 



The inhabitants of Akutan village, like all other tribes in Alaska, 

 consume large quantities of fish. Cod can be had at all seasons, and 

 the above-mentioned streams afibrd a suflticient supply of salmon for 

 all purposes; if not, there are other small bays close by where salmon 

 are numerous enough to meet the requirements of a village of this size. 

 The settlement, however, is not large, being composed of seven frame 

 houses and about a dozen barabaras. The catching of fish is mostly 

 done by the women, assisted by the children of both sexes. Tlie able- 

 bodied male portion of the village spend a greater part of their time 



