REPOET OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 51 



below what was expected, considering the size of the fleet. The 

 weather from January 19 to 21 was unusually severe, causing all the 

 arms of the bay to freeze over and forcing most of the fleet to sea to 

 escape the ice. Four vessels were caught in the ice, one partly loaded 

 with frozen herring, which were shipped by rail to Port aux Basques 

 and there placed on board an American vessel. 



Four of the vessels that were forced out of Bay of Islands on 

 account of the ice proceeded to Port aux Basques, wdiile their captains 

 and agents remained at Birchy Cove for the purpose of taking her- 

 ring through the ice in the Humber Arm, employing the fishermen 

 engaged earlier in the season. The catch was shipped by rail to 

 Port aux Basques and placed on board the vessels. In this way 

 the vessels were quickly loaded, demonstrating that when the arms of 

 the bay are frozen over and herring are plentiful in the Humber it 

 is possible to load a portion of the fleet at Port aux Basques. The 

 Newfoundland herring taken by the American fleet during the sea- 

 son amounted to about 5,925,373 pounds fresh frozen and 14,722,148 

 pounds salted. In 1910 only two Canadian vessels were engaged in 

 the herring fishery at Bay of Islands. In 1909 a small body of 

 herring was reported in Fortune Bay, which was the first appearance 

 of this species in that locality for many years ; during the season of 

 1910^11 there was a considerable run of lierring in all parts of the 

 bay, and several Canadian vessels obtained cargoes there. 



PACIFIC HALIBUT FISHERY. 



In continuation of work conducted many years ago in the inter- 

 ests of the commercial fisheries of the Pacific coast, the Bureau in 

 May, 1911, began an investigation of Alaskan fishing grounds with 

 the special object of securing information regarding the resources of 

 the halibut banks, and of discovering, if possible, ncAv fishing grounds 

 for this important species. The steamer Albatross was detailed for 

 this survey, and the chief of the division of fisheries was placed in 

 charge of the inquiry, which meets with the hearty support of the 

 fishing interests of Washington and Alaska. The ship was provided 

 with fishermen, supplies, and such fishing apparatus as would be nec- 

 essary in successfully conducting experiments for determining the 

 location and abundance of halibut. 



The halibut fishery of the Pacific coast was reported to have been 

 more extensive and successful in 1910 than in any previous year in 

 the history of the industry, the catch of halibut for the entire coast 

 amounting to over 53,000,000 pounds, of which about 30,500,000 

 pounds were handled at ports on Puget Sound and the remaining 

 22,500,000 pounds in British Columbia. The output would, no doubt, 

 have been even larger than this except for the bad weather, poor 

 fishing, and scarcity of bait in the latter part of the year. In the 



