COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1905. 9 



THE COD FISHERY. 

 HISTORY. 



The presence of cod along the Alaskan coast has been known for 

 many years. The first mention was made by a Russian navigator in 

 1765, who reported "cod, perch, pilchards, smelts" as being found 

 around the Fox Islands. Other navigators and explorers who 

 reported the presence of cod were Cook (1786), Portlock (1787), 

 Meares, Billings (1792), Langsdorf (1804), Sutke, and Sir George 

 Simpson (1841), all of whom speak of it as being a very common fish. 

 But little use was made of it, however, owing to the abundance of 

 salmon. Early in the sixties American vessels from San Francisco 

 discovered and fished on the cod banks in the Okhotsk Sea, the first 

 American vessel to visit Alaskan waters apparently being the schooner 

 Alert, which made a voyage to Bristol Bay in 1863. She secured but 

 9 tons of cod, however, the captain's principal incentive to make the 

 trip probably being to trade with the natives. 



On March 27, 1865, Captain Matthew Turner, with the schooner 

 Porpoise (45 tons), of San Francisco, sailed for Alaska, and arrived 

 at the Shumagin Islands May 1. The vessel returned on July 7 with 

 30 tons of cod, having left the banks early in order to get back to San 

 Francisco before the Okhotsk fleet. This was the first fare ever 

 taken from around the Shumagins, one of the best grounds in Alaska. 

 The Simeonoff Bank was discovered by the Minnie S. Atkins in 1867. 



The acquisition of Alaska by the United States in 1867 proved a 

 boon to the cod fishermen, as it secured the Americans, who did ;.ll the 

 fishing, from any interference on the part of the owners of Al ska. 

 This is well shown by the fact that while the fleet in 1867 numbered 

 3 vessels, with a catch of 136,000 fish, the fleet of 1868 comprised 14 

 vessels, which made a catch of 608,000 fish. 



It was early discovered that the time required for the vessels to 

 reach the banks from San Francisco and return was wasted, and in 

 1876 T. W. McCollam & Co., which firm later merged into the Union 

 Fish Company, one of the first to engage in the fishery on a large 

 scale, established a permanent fishing station at Pirate Cove on Popoff 

 Isl nd, one of the Shumagin group. From this station fishermen in 

 dories went out each day, returning in the evening with the day's 

 catch. In this way fishing could be carried on the 3-ear through, and 

 the plan was followed as time went on until now nearly all of the com- 

 panies operating vessels in Alaska have one or more stations. Cer- 

 tain vessels are employed in carrying supplies to these stations from 

 the home ports and in taking back the cod caught. 



The first Alaskan vessel in the fishery was one owned by Captain 

 Haley, of Wrangell, who in 1879 fished on the Hoochenoo Bank in 

 Frederick Sound, and sold his catch in Wrangell for 8100 per ton. 

 The regular Bering Sea fishery was inaugurated bv the Tropic Bird in 

 1883. 



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