﻿OXLVIII 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  send, 
  naturalist; 
  Col. 
  Joseph 
  Murray, 
  special 
  agent 
  of 
  tbe 
  Treasury, 
  and 
  

   Mr. 
  G. 
  A. 
  Clark, 
  secretary. 
  The 
  report 
  covering 
  their 
  work 
  will 
  be 
  made 
  

   by 
  that 
  commission. 
  All 
  the 
  commissioners 
  visited 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands, 
  

   and 
  Dr. 
  Stejneger 
  and 
  Lieut. 
  Commander 
  Moser 
  were 
  instructed 
  to 
  visit 
  

   the 
  Asiatic 
  side, 
  the 
  former 
  being 
  detailed 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  report. 
  

  

  Submitted 
  herewith 
  are 
  extracts 
  and 
  tables 
  from 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  Lieut. 
  

   Commander 
  Moser 
  covering 
  the 
  subsequent 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  vessel: 
  

  

  PACIFIC 
  COAST 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  In 
  summing 
  up 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  this 
  vessel 
  for 
  the 
  six 
  months 
  ending 
  

   June 
  30, 
  1897, 
  that 
  i^art 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  salmon 
  and 
  halibut 
  fisheries 
  of 
  

   Alaska, 
  which 
  commenced 
  June 
  C, 
  forming 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  for 
  the 
  

   summer 
  and 
  fall, 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  referred 
  to, 
  but 
  left 
  for 
  the 
  full 
  report 
  for 
  

   the 
  six 
  months 
  ending 
  December 
  31, 
  1897. 
  The 
  fisheries 
  in 
  tlie 
  vicinity 
  

   of 
  Santa 
  Catalina 
  Island 
  and 
  the 
  salmon 
  trials 
  with 
  deep-sea 
  gill 
  nets 
  

   will 
  here 
  be 
  chiefly 
  considered. 
  

  

  Under 
  instructions 
  of 
  JVIarch 
  24, 
  the 
  Albatross 
  was 
  directed 
  to 
  examine 
  

   the 
  shelf 
  surrounding 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Santa 
  Catalina 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  its 
  

   fishing 
  resources. 
  This 
  island 
  lies 
  18 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  Point 
  Fermin 
  (San 
  

   Pedro) 
  and 
  is 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  mainland 
  by 
  the 
  San 
  Pedro 
  Channel. 
  

   Its 
  extreme 
  length 
  is 
  ISi 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  east-and-west 
  direction, 
  

   extreme 
  breadth 
  7 
  miles, 
  average 
  width 
  4 
  miles, 
  and 
  length 
  of 
  shore 
  

   line 
  about 
  45 
  miles. 
  It 
  is 
  mountainous, 
  with 
  precipitous 
  sioi:)es, 
  the 
  

   highest 
  peak 
  reaching 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  2,109 
  feet. 
  About 
  6 
  miles-from 
  

   the 
  extreme 
  western 
  end 
  a 
  break 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  mountain 
  system 
  con- 
  

   necting 
  the 
  two 
  x>arts 
  by 
  a 
  very 
  narrow 
  isthmus 
  about 
  one-half 
  mile 
  

   long, 
  which 
  gives 
  it 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  two 
  islands 
  when 
  approaching 
  

   from 
  the 
  northward. 
  There 
  are 
  several 
  coves 
  in 
  which 
  large 
  vessels 
  

   may 
  find 
  a 
  lee, 
  but 
  no 
  harbors 
  for 
  an 
  all-around 
  i)rotection. 
  The 
  pre- 
  

   cipitous 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  shore 
  line 
  is 
  sufQcieut 
  indication 
  that 
  the 
  

   shore 
  shelf 
  is 
  narrow. 
  The 
  50-fathom 
  curve 
  is 
  nowhere 
  more 
  than 
  2J 
  

   miles 
  from 
  shore, 
  and 
  generally 
  within 
  a 
  mile, 
  while 
  the 
  greatest 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  of 
  the 
  100-fathom 
  curve, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  hydrography 
  has 
  been 
  

   developed, 
  is 
  less 
  than 
  4 
  miles. 
  

  

  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  bottom 
  generally 
  is 
  mud, 
  with 
  areas 
  of 
  mud 
  and 
  

   sand, 
  or 
  mud 
  and 
  shells, 
  or 
  all 
  combined. 
  At 
  a 
  few 
  points 
  outside 
  of 
  

   the 
  immediate 
  shore 
  line 
  and 
  off 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  southeastern 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  island 
  small 
  areas 
  of 
  rocky 
  bottom 
  are 
  found. 
  

  

  The 
  visit 
  of 
  the 
  Albatross 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  part 
  of 
  April 
  was 
  at 
  a 
  

   jieriod 
  when 
  the 
  migratory 
  fishes 
  had 
  not 
  yet 
  appeared, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  the 
  

   advance 
  guard 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  species 
  had 
  only 
  commenced 
  to 
  run. 
  I 
  can 
  

   therefore 
  only 
  speak 
  of 
  what 
  might 
  be 
  termed 
  the 
  winter 
  or 
  early 
  spring 
  

   fishing. 
  From 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  our 
  arrival 
  at 
  Isthmus 
  Cove, 
  April 
  6, 
  to 
  

   the 
  morning 
  of 
  dei^arture, 
  April 
  10, 
  the 
  drag 
  seines, 
  gill 
  nets, 
  trawl 
  

   lines, 
  hand 
  lines, 
  and 
  beam 
  trawl 
  were 
  constantly 
  used 
  whenever 
  prac- 
  

   ticable, 
  in 
  depths 
  varying 
  between 
  a 
  few 
  fathoms 
  to 
  130 
  fathoms. 
  The 
  

   jirincipal 
  stations 
  were 
  made 
  at 
  Isthmus 
  Cove 
  and 
  vicinity, 
  in 
  Catalina 
  

  

  