REPOllT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 3 



Georges Bank, in the Northern Atlantic. The best lishing-spots occur 

 in the region adjacent to Port Moller and Ilerendeen Bay, two itnpoT- 

 tant inlets for shelter during stormy weather^ of which the entrance to 

 the former and the channel through the latter were surveyed and 

 mapped. A coal mine had been opened near the head of Herendeen 

 Bay just previous to the visit of the Albatross, v,^hwh took the first 

 output of coal and found the same of good (quality for steaming pur- 

 poses. The starting of this new enterprise marks a decisive step 

 toward the development of this region, and should it result in the 

 establishment of a permanent settlement it can not ftiil to advance 

 materially the interests of the neighboring fisheries. 



The season proved too short to complete the investigations in Bering 

 Sea as originally planned, outside of the fishing-ground above referred 

 to, and it will be necessary to resume the work at some future time. 

 The position of the western margin of the continental platform was 

 defined, however, for a considerable distance, and a good beginning 

 has been made toward a knowledge of those physical and biological 

 features of the sea which relate to the habits and distribution of the 

 fur seal and otheiiaquatic mammals. 



By the siu'veys of the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California, 

 the contour of the continental border has been developed from the 

 shore line into depths of 200 fathoms as far south as Point Conception, 

 the region between the latter place and San Diego having been pre- 

 viously explored. A great wealth of hydrographic information of value 

 to navigation has thereby been obtained, in addition to a very fair 

 knowledge of the fishery resources. Yery few defined fishing-banks 

 were discovered, but food-fishes of many species, and of good quality, 

 w^ere generally distributed along the coast. Halibut were taken as far 

 south as Heceta Bank, off the coast of Oregon, but they are apparently 

 nowhere sufficiently abundant south of Cape Flattery to induce the 

 sending out of vessels equipped solely for their capture. Several kinds 

 of flounders and of rock-cod are very plentiful, however, and only the 

 lack of suitable markets stands in the way of the organization of an 

 extensive fishery almost anywhere northward of the region tributary 

 to San Francisco, where much activity has now i)revailed for a number 

 of years. 



A very careful series of temperature and density as well as biologi- 

 cal observations in different i)arts of San Francisco Bay, by Mr. C. H. 

 Townsend, the naturalist of the steamer Albatross, seems to indicate 

 that the waters of that region are not, as has hitherto been supposed, 

 unsuited to the breeding of the Atlantic coast oysters, and further 

 investigations regarding this matter are awaited with much interest. 

 Should the establishment of self-sustaining beds of the larger and 

 better quality of oyster prove possible in this bay, it would certainly 

 tend to stimulate the development of an important industry. 



