﻿SURVEY 
  OF 
  THE 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS 
  ON 
  THE 
  COASTS 
  OF 
  

   WASHINGTON 
  AND 
  OREGON 
  IN 
  1914* 
  

  

  By 
  Waldo 
  L. 
  Schmitt, 
  E. 
  C. 
  Johnston, 
  E. 
  P. 
  Rankin, 
  and 
  Edward 
  Driscoll. 
  

  

  INTRODUCTION. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1914 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries 
  steamer 
  

   Albatross 
  was 
  detailed 
  to 
  make 
  an 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  banks 
  

   reported 
  off 
  the 
  Oregon 
  coast 
  for 
  tlie 
  purpose 
  of 
  developing 
  their 
  

   location 
  and 
  extent 
  and 
  supplying 
  definite 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   character 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  grounds, 
  especially 
  those 
  for 
  halibut, 
  the 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  fish 
  thereon, 
  and 
  the 
  season 
  at 
  which 
  they 
  appear. 
  

   That 
  the 
  investigation 
  should 
  be 
  as 
  conclusive 
  as 
  possible, 
  it 
  was 
  at 
  

   first 
  restricted 
  to 
  that 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  lying 
  between 
  the 
  Columbia 
  

   River 
  and 
  Heceta 
  Bank, 
  but 
  later 
  was 
  extended 
  northward 
  to 
  a 
  point 
  

   off 
  Grays 
  Harbor 
  and 
  southward 
  to 
  include 
  a 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  off 
  

   Coos 
  Bay. 
  This 
  is 
  practically 
  the 
  same 
  region 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  

   Albatross 
  in 
  her 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  offshore 
  fishmg 
  grounds 
  in 
  1888-89, 
  

   and 
  by 
  various 
  commercial 
  fishing 
  ventures 
  both 
  before 
  and 
  after 
  

   that 
  time, 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  narrated 
  hereafter. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  investigation 
  included 
  a 
  preliminary 
  reconnoissance 
  

   by 
  Mi\ 
  E. 
  C. 
  Johnston, 
  of 
  the 
  Albatross, 
  in 
  July, 
  1913; 
  three 
  fishing 
  

   trips 
  by 
  the 
  steamer, 
  April 
  27 
  to 
  May 
  16, 
  May 
  25 
  to 
  June 
  1, 
  and 
  

   August 
  27 
  to 
  September 
  10, 
  1914, 
  respectively; 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  

   fishing 
  ports 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  June, 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Edward 
  Driscoll, 
  

   an 
  expert 
  commercial 
  fisherman, 
  who 
  had 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  trials 
  

   during 
  the 
  survey; 
  and 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  fishing 
  trials 
  conducted 
  from 
  a 
  

   chartered 
  launch 
  out 
  of 
  Newport, 
  Oreg., 
  from 
  July 
  11 
  to 
  August 
  17, 
  

   1914, 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Albatross 
  was 
  engaged 
  in 
  other 
  

   duty. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  correct 
  estimate 
  of 
  the 
  commercial 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  

   fishing 
  banks 
  explored, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  considered 
  necessary 
  to 
  epitomize 
  

   what 
  was 
  known 
  of 
  them 
  before 
  this 
  investigation 
  was 
  undertaken; 
  

   but 
  the 
  essential 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  report 
  is 
  embraced 
  in 
  the 
  section, 
  

   "Results 
  of 
  the 
  investigation." 
  This 
  includes 
  various 
  charts 
  and 
  

   tables, 
  ui 
  which 
  arc 
  embodied 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  depths 
  and 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  bottom; 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  sets 
  for 
  fish; 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  trials 
  for 
  

   scallop 
  beds; 
  and 
  the 
  actual 
  commercial 
  yield 
  of 
  the 
  fishing 
  banks 
  

   after 
  theu* 
  value 
  became 
  known 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  investigation. 
  

  

  The 
  charts 
  are 
  intended 
  particularly 
  to 
  supply, 
  at 
  a 
  glance, 
  the 
  

   information 
  desired 
  by 
  fishermen, 
  the 
  depths, 
  and 
  the 
  general 
  char- 
  

  

  3 
  

  

  