﻿24 
  SURVEY 
  OF 
  FISHING 
  GEOUNDS, 
  1914. 
  

  

  off 
  Newport 
  on 
  August 
  17, 
  took 
  a 
  fare 
  of 
  slightly 
  over 
  80,000 
  pounds 
  

   into 
  Seattle 
  on 
  August 
  24, 
  

  

  Though 
  doubtless 
  the 
  (uitire 
  Seattle 
  fleet 
  could 
  clean 
  out 
  the 
  N(^w- 
  

   port 
  grounds 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  trips, 
  there 
  is 
  every 
  indication 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  

   easily 
  yield 
  twice 
  to 
  three 
  times 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  trips 
  made 
  thereon 
  

   during 
  July, 
  August, 
  and 
  vSeptem])er, 
  and 
  possibly 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  May 
  and 
  

   June 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  good 
  run 
  on 
  certain 
  spots 
  indicated 
  on 
  the 
  edge 
  

   of 
  Heceta 
  Bank. 
  

  

  Regarding 
  the 
  percentage 
  of 
  mushy 
  fish 
  taken 
  off 
  Newport 
  as 
  com- 
  

   pared 
  with 
  catches 
  made 
  in 
  Alaskan 
  waters, 
  there 
  are 
  very 
  few 
  figures 
  

   available. 
  Of 
  the 
  four 
  Newport 
  trips 
  made 
  in 
  August 
  for 
  which 
  we 
  

   have 
  complete 
  data, 
  from 
  23 
  to 
  31 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  in 
  one 
  fare 
  of 
  57,000 
  

   pounds 
  43 
  per 
  cent, 
  were 
  mushy. 
  In 
  September, 
  taking 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  

   returns 
  into 
  consideration, 
  about 
  37 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  fish 
  were 
  mushy. 
  

   Of 
  Alaskan 
  trips, 
  but 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  cited 
  here, 
  both 
  from 
  the 
  

   Portlock 
  Bank, 
  one 
  in 
  September 
  of 
  50,000 
  pounds, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  

   in 
  October 
  of 
  240,000 
  pounds, 
  of 
  which 
  40 
  and 
  29 
  per 
  cent, 
  respect- 
  

   ively, 
  were 
  mushy. 
  

  

  These 
  fish, 
  called 
  at 
  times 
  milk 
  halibut, 
  have 
  been 
  variously 
  de- 
  

   scribed. 
  The 
  fishermen 
  say 
  that 
  when 
  cut 
  the 
  flesh 
  is 
  so 
  soft 
  that 
  it 
  

   can 
  be 
  shaken 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  skin 
  and 
  bones, 
  a 
  condition 
  that 
  does 
  

   not 
  make 
  itself 
  apparent 
  until 
  after 
  the 
  fish 
  has 
  been 
  packed 
  in 
  ice 
  

   for.several 
  days 
  or 
  more. 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Alexander, 
  of 
  the 
  Bureau 
  of 
  

   Fisheries, 
  says 
  that 
  when 
  mushy 
  fish 
  are 
  cut 
  they 
  exhibit 
  sac-like 
  

   bodies 
  in 
  the 
  muscular 
  tissue 
  varying 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  marble 
  

   to 
  a 
  walnut, 
  of 
  the 
  consistency 
  of 
  hard 
  fat, 
  and 
  which, 
  when 
  rup- 
  

   tured, 
  exuded 
  a 
  whitish 
  fluid 
  of 
  the 
  consistency 
  of 
  condensed 
  milk. 
  

   Fish 
  so 
  affected 
  are 
  mushy 
  to 
  the 
  touch, 
  the 
  flesh 
  does 
  not 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  

   original 
  shape 
  after 
  being 
  subjected 
  to 
  pressure, 
  as 
  from 
  a 
  finger 
  end. 
  

  

  Several 
  theories 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  this 
  condition 
  have 
  been 
  ad- 
  

   vanced. 
  One 
  is 
  that 
  related 
  to 
  spawning, 
  but 
  the 
  facts 
  do 
  not 
  

   appear 
  to 
  support 
  this 
  idea. 
  The 
  suggestion 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  disease, 
  

   or 
  rather 
  parasitism, 
  seems 
  more 
  probable. 
  Dr. 
  Johan 
  Hjort 
  gives 
  

   the 
  results 
  of 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  life 
  liistory 
  of 
  a 
  crustacean 
  parasitic 
  in 
  

   the 
  flesh 
  of 
  Molva 
  abyssorum, 
  commonly 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  ling 
  in 
  Europe, 
  

   and 
  of 
  very 
  common 
  occurrence 
  on 
  halibut 
  banks. 
  About 
  3 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  the 
  ling 
  taken 
  are 
  infected 
  with 
  the 
  parasite, 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  

   whitish 
  or 
  yellowish 
  egg-shaped 
  body 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  wahiut 
  (If 
  

   by 
  I 
  inches) 
  filled 
  with 
  a 
  blackisli 
  fluid 
  (digestion 
  products) 
  which, 
  

   when 
  the 
  animal 
  is 
  cut, 
  contaminates 
  the 
  flesh 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  rendering 
  

   it 
  unfit 
  for 
  sale. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  mushy 
  halibut 
  may 
  have 
  a 
  

   similar 
  causation, 
  as 
  Mr. 
  Alexander 
  speaks 
  of 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  hard, 
  

   fatty 
  lumps 
  in 
  their 
  flesh. 
  

  

  This 
  matter 
  might 
  well 
  be 
  made 
  a 
  subject 
  for 
  research, 
  as 
  unfor- 
  

   tunately 
  no 
  way 
  of 
  detecting 
  the 
  affected 
  fish 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  taking 
  

  

  