58 ALASKA FISHERIES AND FUR INDUSTRIES IN 1916. 
steamer Roman was wrecked on Key Reef in southeastern Alaska on 
November 18. ‘This vessel was the property of the Columbia Cold 
Storage Co., of Steveston, British Columbia, and was valued at about 
$80,000. In addition the cargo and fishing gear was worth approxi- 
mately $10,000. It is reported that the halibut schooner San Jose 
(14 tons net) was wrecked in Puffin Bay on the south end of Baranof 
Island on August 22. No loss of life was reported in any of these 
disasters. 
Investigations were made in 1916 by Dr. Clarence W. Hahn at the 
bureau’s laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass., with a view to determining 
the cause of the peculiar mushy condition of the flesh observed not 
infrequently in halibut on the Pacific coast. At times, notably in the 
early summer, this condition becomes so troublesome that the fisher- 
men are forced to seek other grounds. Preliminary findings indicate 
that the trouble is due to a protozoan parasite which increases its 
numbers with great rapidity and causes a degeneration of the tissues. 
It is contemplated that further investigations will be made to de- 
termine, if possible, the cause of this disorder and to devise possible 
methods of control or remedies. 
The season of 1916 has been remarkable on account of the very high 
price received by the fishermen for halibut. At Seattle in December 
the maximum price reached 16 cents a pound. The lowest price in 
the year was 5} cents, while the average was nearly 10 cents a pound. 
In 1915 the average was about 5? cents, the ranges being from a 
maximum of 124 cents to a minimum of 24 cents. 
Certain unusual developments occurred in the halibut fishery of the 
Pacific coast in 1916. First may be mentioned the strike of the 
halibut fishermen, which began March 1 and was not settled until 
July 19. This strike grew out of a disagreement between the fisher- 
men and the independent vessel owners. It did not affect the com- 
pany vessels. As a result of the strike the production of halibut on 
the Pacific coast was curtailed considerably, the aggregate being only 
approximately 54,000,000 pounds as against about 66,000,000 pounds 
in1915. The effects of the strike were felt to some extent in Alaskan 
waters. The reduction in the catch on account of the strike was 
offset to a certain degree by the entrance of a number of purse seine 
boats into the halibut fishery. The fact that the season in 1916 was 
poor for salmon on Puget Sound, coupled with the high prices pre- 
vailing for halibut, accounts for the entry of the salmon fishermen 
into the halibut industry. | 
The halibut fishery not only of Alaska, but of the entire Pacific 
coast, was in a very disturbed and unsettled condition throughout 
1916 because of the alleged efforts of the Canadian Government to 
divert the trade through Prince Rupert, the terminus of the Grand 
Trunk Pacific Railway, which is approximately 90 miles southeast of 
