﻿6 
  SURVEY 
  OF 
  FISHING 
  GROUNDS, 
  1914. 
  

  

  trials 
  were 
  made, 
  beginning 
  in 
  deep 
  water 
  off 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  

   Cohmibia, 
  rmming 
  down 
  over 
  the 
  continental 
  shelf, 
  and 
  ending 
  in 
  

   deep 
  water 
  off 
  Newport, 
  Oreg. 
  The 
  total 
  return 
  from 
  these 
  eight 
  

   sets, 
  four 
  days' 
  fishing, 
  was 
  about 
  5,000 
  pounds, 
  and 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  

   trip 
  the 
  vessel 
  resorted 
  to 
  the 
  well-known 
  Flattery 
  Banks, 
  where 
  

   68,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  fish 
  were 
  picked 
  up. 
  The 
  approximate 
  location 
  of 
  

   the 
  sets 
  have 
  been 
  indicated 
  by 
  circles 
  on 
  the 
  accompanying 
  chart. 
  

  

  The 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  masters 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  vessels 
  on 
  the 
  prospect 
  of 
  

   developing 
  a 
  lucrative 
  halibut 
  fishery 
  in 
  this 
  region 
  were 
  very 
  unfa- 
  

   vorable, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  confirmed 
  by 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  

   the 
  schooner 
  Decorali, 
  wliich 
  in 
  May, 
  1914, 
  caught 
  but 
  6,000 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  small 
  halibut 
  in 
  10 
  days 
  of 
  fishing. 
  

  

  Partly 
  corroborative 
  evidence 
  was 
  furnished 
  also 
  by 
  Capt. 
  E. 
  

   Clyde 
  Chase, 
  formerly 
  of 
  Marshfield, 
  Oreg., 
  who 
  stated: 
  

  

  While 
  I 
  was 
  engaged 
  in 
  the 
  salmon 
  fisheries 
  at 
  Marslifield 
  I 
  did 
  considerable 
  experi- 
  

   menting 
  on 
  the 
  halibut 
  grounds 
  off 
  Coos 
  Bay. 
  During 
  the 
  close 
  season 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  

   and 
  winter 
  I 
  filled 
  in 
  the 
  time 
  with 
  halibut 
  fishing, 
  and 
  can 
  say 
  that 
  we 
  made 
  some 
  good 
  

   catches 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  August 
  and 
  September. 
  The 
  fish 
  did 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  run 
  in 
  

   schools. 
  They 
  were 
  mostly 
  caught 
  in 
  scattered 
  spots, 
  and 
  we 
  hardly 
  ever 
  would 
  

   fish 
  the 
  same 
  ground 
  the 
  second 
  day 
  in 
  succession 
  and 
  achieve 
  good 
  results. 
  We 
  did 
  

   most 
  of 
  oiu" 
  fishing 
  on 
  a 
  fine 
  gray 
  sand 
  bottom, 
  and 
  we 
  found 
  no 
  ground 
  I 
  would 
  con- 
  

   sider 
  good 
  halibut 
  banks. 
  

  

  What 
  halibut 
  Ave 
  caught 
  were 
  small, 
  not 
  averaging 
  over 
  15 
  pounds. 
  I 
  fished 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  ground 
  from 
  the 
  Heceta 
  Banks 
  to 
  Cape 
  Blanco. 
  We 
  found 
  the 
  ground 
  

   practically 
  the 
  same. 
  During 
  our 
  simimer 
  fishing 
  we 
  would 
  catch 
  a 
  few 
  hali- 
  

   but 
  almost 
  anywhere 
  along 
  these 
  sets, 
  but 
  during 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  December 
  and 
  

   January 
  there 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  no 
  halibut 
  at 
  all 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  ground 
  we 
  fished 
  in 
  the 
  

   summer, 
  but 
  we 
  got 
  dogfish 
  and 
  skates 
  on 
  nearly 
  every 
  hook 
  we 
  set. 
  I 
  believe 
  the 
  

   halibut 
  come 
  inshore 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  onto 
  these 
  grounds 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  caught 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  on 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  grounds 
  during 
  that 
  time. 
  But 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  they 
  go 
  off 
  

   again 
  and 
  you 
  are 
  unable 
  to 
  find 
  them. 
  I 
  don't 
  consider 
  any 
  ground 
  that 
  I 
  found 
  

   good 
  halibut 
  banks 
  that 
  would 
  hold 
  the 
  fish. 
  

  

  THE 
  "ALBATROSS" 
  INVESTIGATION 
  IN 
  1914. 
  

  

  Prehminary 
  to 
  the 
  investigation 
  proper 
  as 
  conducted 
  by 
  the 
  

   Albatross, 
  the 
  fishery 
  expert 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  was 
  detailed 
  to 
  inake 
  a 
  

   reconnoissance 
  covering 
  the 
  Oregon 
  coast 
  towns, 
  from 
  which 
  reports 
  

   of 
  catches 
  of 
  halibut 
  had 
  come, 
  namely, 
  Newport 
  and 
  Bay 
  City. 
  

   His 
  trip 
  was 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  obtaining 
  first-hand 
  information 
  

   regarding 
  the 
  fishing 
  season, 
  weather 
  conditions, 
  and 
  harbor 
  facilities, 
  

   upon 
  which 
  definite 
  instructions 
  regarding 
  the 
  survey 
  could 
  be 
  based. 
  

  

  At 
  Newport, 
  Oreg., 
  it 
  was 
  ascertained 
  that 
  halibut 
  fisliing 
  had 
  been 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  by 
  the 
  owners 
  and 
  masters 
  of 
  various 
  small 
  freight 
  and 
  

   pleasure 
  craft 
  belonging 
  to 
  Newport 
  and 
  Yaquina, 
  practically 
  all 
  of 
  

   it 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  hand 
  lines. 
  During 
  the 
  inquiry 
  in 
  Newport, 
  the 
  Sea 
  

   Dog, 
  a 
  20-foot 
  boat 
  using 
  tliree 
  hand 
  lines, 
  caught 
  about 
  500 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  halibut 
  in 
  a 
  10-hour 
  day; 
  and 
  the 
  Wanderer, 
  a 
  60-footer, 
  reported 
  

   making 
  a 
  catch 
  of 
  about 
  1,000 
  pounds 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  number 
  of 
  hand 
  

  

  