[mcmurrich] 



SCALE-MARKINGS OF THE HALIBUT 



37 



The bearing of these facts on the question of the conservation of 

 the supply of Halibut on our Western Coast is evident. The longer 

 the time reqviired by a fish to reach maturity, the greater is the danger 

 of the exhaustion of the supply by overfishing. And that such a danger 

 threatens our Halibut banks on the Pacific Coast is evident both from 

 the past history of the banks and from recent statistics. Indeed the 

 Inspector of Fisheries for District No. 2, British Columbia, states in 

 his report for 1907-8'' that "It is an admitted fact by all who are com- 

 petent to judge that our Halibut banks are being rapidly depleted." 

 That areas in which Halibut were at one time abundant are now ex- 

 hausted is well, known to those who are familiar with the history of 

 the fishing industry of the West Coast, and, furthermore, statistics 

 seem to indicate that the maximum productivity of the banks now 

 being fished has been reached and, what is more serious, has been 

 passed. In 1905 the take of Halibut recorded at the port of Vancouver 

 amounted to 89,014 cwt., and in 1910 it had risen to 219,063 cwt., an 

 increase of 246 per cent, in five years. The amounts caught in suc- 

 cessive years, together with the increments over preceding years are 

 shown by the figures in the annexed table, compiled from the reports 

 of the Department of Marine and Fisheries, Ottawa. 



From this it will be seen that the catch has increased from 1905 to 

 1909 at an enormous rate, the excess of that of 1909 over that of 1908 

 amounting to nearly 42,000 cwt. In the succeeding year, 1910, the 

 excess still continued, though greatly diminished in amount, having 

 fallen to about 2,000 cwt. and in 1911 an actual diminution of 22,577 

 cwt. occurred. But this is of but slight importance as compared with 

 1912, the figures for the catch of that year, which I owe to the courtesy 



*Forty-first Annual Report of the Department of Marine and Fisheries. Ottawa 



1909. 



