﻿CL 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  The 
  fishing- 
  methods 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity 
  have 
  been 
  fully 
  described 
  in 
  pre- 
  

   vious 
  publications 
  of 
  the 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  and 
  therefore 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  

   referred 
  to 
  again. 
  

  

  The 
  A 
  Ihatross 
  arrived 
  at 
  Santa 
  Cruz, 
  Monterey 
  Bay, 
  at 
  midnight 
  of 
  

   April 
  11, 
  and 
  commenced 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  investigations 
  off 
  Monterey 
  Bay 
  

   and 
  the 
  Golden 
  Gate 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  determining 
  the 
  grounds 
  resorted 
  

   to 
  by 
  salmon 
  while 
  at 
  sea, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  attending 
  conditions. 
  The 
  

   stations 
  were 
  selected 
  with 
  special 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  

   bottom, 
  and 
  as 
  net 
  setting 
  in 
  such 
  great 
  depths 
  was 
  experimental, 
  the 
  

   work 
  was 
  commenced 
  under 
  100 
  fathoms 
  depth. 
  Seven 
  stations 
  were 
  

   made, 
  and 
  while 
  the 
  catch 
  at 
  each 
  station, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  beam-trawl 
  

   hauls, 
  is 
  appended 
  in 
  detail, 
  it 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  uninteresting 
  to 
  add 
  a 
  few 
  

   remarks 
  relating 
  to 
  our 
  trials. 
  

  

  The 
  stations 
  were 
  first 
  selected 
  on 
  the 
  chart, 
  but 
  before 
  setting 
  the 
  

   nets 
  the 
  depth 
  was 
  ascertained 
  by 
  sounding, 
  and, 
  if 
  satisfactory, 
  one 
  

   or 
  more 
  hauls 
  of 
  the 
  beam 
  trawl 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  test 
  the 
  bottom 
  life. 
  

   The 
  first 
  station 
  was 
  selected 
  near 
  the 
  100-fathom 
  curve 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  submarine 
  gorge 
  which 
  penetrates 
  the 
  central 
  portion 
  of 
  

   Monterey 
  Bay, 
  in 
  latitude 
  30° 
  45' 
  30" 
  N., 
  longitude 
  121° 
  53' 
  30" 
  W., 
  at 
  

   the 
  sounding 
  marked 
  127 
  fathoms, 
  fine, 
  dark 
  sand. 
  The 
  lead 
  at 
  this 
  

   point 
  indicated 
  soft 
  mud. 
  The 
  vessel 
  was 
  then 
  moved 
  over 
  short 
  

   distances, 
  but 
  each 
  sounding 
  indicated 
  muddy 
  bottom. 
  Trials 
  with 
  the 
  

   beam 
  trawl 
  ahowed 
  that 
  proper 
  bottom 
  had 
  been 
  found, 
  and 
  two 
  cod 
  

   gill-nets 
  were 
  set 
  in 
  68 
  fathoms, 
  latitude 
  36° 
  45' 
  15" 
  N., 
  longitude 
  121° 
  

   53' 
  W., 
  C. 
  S. 
  chart 
  No. 
  5500. 
  On 
  account 
  of 
  a 
  dense 
  fog 
  these 
  nets 
  

   were 
  not 
  hauled 
  for 
  three 
  days, 
  when 
  the 
  catch 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  few 
  

   rockfish 
  and 
  dogfish. 
  The 
  nets 
  were 
  badly 
  torn 
  by 
  sharks. 
  In 
  all 
  our 
  

   search 
  for 
  proper 
  bottom 
  conditions, 
  the 
  indications 
  of 
  mud 
  as 
  shown 
  

   by 
  the 
  lead 
  were 
  not 
  conclusive, 
  for 
  at 
  all 
  such 
  stations 
  in 
  this 
  vicinity 
  

   and 
  to 
  the 
  northward 
  the 
  beam 
  trawl 
  gave 
  evidence 
  of 
  rocky 
  bottom, 
  

   either 
  by 
  bringing 
  up 
  pieces 
  of 
  rock 
  or 
  marine 
  forms 
  only 
  found 
  on 
  

   rocky 
  bottom, 
  besides 
  the 
  net 
  being 
  torn 
  by 
  dragging 
  over 
  rocks. 
  The 
  

   shore 
  shelf, 
  say 
  to 
  500 
  fathoms, 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  bowlderous 
  or 
  stony, 
  

   generally 
  covered 
  or 
  partly 
  covered 
  with 
  or 
  imbedded 
  in 
  mud. 
  

  

  Station 
  No. 
  2 
  was 
  in 
  39 
  fathoms, 
  latitude 
  36° 
  39' 
  30" 
  N., 
  longitude 
  

   121° 
  53' 
  W,, 
  near 
  sounding 
  38 
  fathoms, 
  hard 
  gray 
  sand. 
  Two 
  surface 
  

   salmon 
  nets 
  were 
  set 
  at 
  this 
  station 
  and 
  remained 
  18 
  hours 
  without 
  

   result. 
  At 
  a 
  third 
  station, 
  in 
  5 
  fathoms, 
  gray 
  sand 
  and 
  rock, 
  inside 
  of 
  

   Point 
  Pinos 
  and 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  beach 
  of 
  Pacific 
  Grove, 
  where 
  2 
  salmon 
  

   nets 
  were 
  down 
  12 
  hours, 
  only 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  rock 
  bass 
  were 
  taken. 
  

  

  Station 
  Ko. 
  4 
  was 
  in 
  278 
  fathoms, 
  mud 
  and 
  sand 
  bottom, 
  in 
  latitude 
  

   36° 
  47' 
  N., 
  longitude 
  122"^ 
  10' 
  W. 
  The 
  beam 
  trawl 
  indicated 
  very 
  pro- 
  

   lific 
  life, 
  bringing 
  up 
  several 
  bushels 
  of 
  sea-urchins, 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   flounders, 
  slime-eels, 
  spider-crabs, 
  starfishes, 
  and 
  other 
  forms. 
  There 
  

   were 
  many 
  humpback 
  whales 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  These 
  nets 
  fished 
  

   16 
  hours, 
  and 
  when 
  hauled 
  brought 
  in 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  black-cod 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  

   dogfish, 
  rockfish, 
  and 
  spider-crabs 
  j 
  nets 
  very 
  badly 
  torn 
  by 
  sharks. 
  

  

  