COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OP ALASKA IN 1905. 17 



Of the former banks, Mr. A. B. Alexander", formerly fishery expert 

 of the steamer Albatross, writes as follows: 



Across Dixon Entrance, on the south side of Prince of Wales Island, in the vicinity of 

 Nicholas Bay and Cape Chacon, a few schooners have taken good fares. Here, as at Cape 

 Scott, the ground is made up of small "spots," which can only be located by landmarks. 

 Only a few vessels can fish on this ground; it is said that even a small fleet would soon 

 exhaust the ground, not permanently, but for some weeks. The Indians of this locality 

 catch halibut here in considerable numbers, and from these people the white fishermen soon 

 learn the best places. 



Halibut on the northern banks are sometimes very erratic; in places where they are 

 numerous one day few will be found the next. It frequently happens that a vessel will 

 have good success for several days, and in a few hours' time fish will become so scarce that it 

 is useless to remain longer on the ground. It is thought the fish are traveling in schools 

 from one bank to another. 



On all grounds halibut are more plentiful in winter than in summer and are scarcer in 

 June than at any other time of the year. At this season they scatter all over. 



During the salmon-canning season (June to November) many hali- 

 but are to be seen near the canneries, where they feed on the salmon 

 offal thrown overboard. 



No effort has yet been made to fish the large banks in central and 

 western Alaska, owing to the distance from markets and the poor 

 shipping facilities, but ultimately these will furnish the bulk of the 

 product. 



Very important grounds are located off the Queen Charlotte Islands 

 and along the coast of British Columbia, but most of these are barred 

 to American fishermen because they are within the three-mile limit. 



It is barely possible that more extensive investigation would reveal 

 the presence in southeast Alaska of large banks similar to those off the 

 British Columbia coast. 



METHODS OF THE FISHERY. 



The method of catching halibut is almost the same as on the 

 Atlantic coast. When the grounds are reached, the vessel scatters 

 its dories around in favorable spots and then lies to for a while. 

 There are generally two men to a dory. First the buoy is launched 

 and the buoy line thrown out, this line being usually about 150 feet in 

 length with an anchor attached to the end. The trawl lines in the 

 vessel fisheries are generally about 1,800 feet in length, and usually 

 three are joined together so as to make one continuous line. The 

 gangings are about 5 feet long, are attached to the ground line, and 

 are placed about 15 feet apart. They have the hooks and bait (usu- 

 ally herring) attached, and are placed so as to rest on the bottom. 



a Notes on the halibut fishery of the northwest coast in 1895, by A. B. Alexander. Bull. 

 U. S. Fish Com., vol. xvn, 1897 (1898), p. 141-144. 



7115—06 3 



