6 HALIBUT FISHING GROUNDS OP THE PACIFIC COAST. 



The ground when first discovered f urnislied a large supply of halibut, 

 and fish were very plentiful on all parts of it. As soon as a scarcity 

 of fish was noticed in any one place, the vessels shifted to another 

 part, and under these conditions the ground yielded continuously 

 for three winters. At the end of this time a large area had been 

 covered, extending from a jDoint 5 miles southeast from the west end 

 of Banks Island along the sloping edge of the gi'ound to Rose Spit, 

 a sandy point situated on the northern end of Graham Island of the 

 Queen Charlotte group, covering a ground about 50 miles long by 4 

 miles wide. 



During this time the fishermen had become more expert, and at the 

 end of the third season they were able to handle double the amount 

 of gear they did at the beginning of the fishery. The method of 

 caring for the catch had also been improved upon. The fish were 

 dressed, iced, and stowed away in the hold in less than half the time 

 formerly required. Full fares w^ere quickly obtained, and in many 

 instances placed on the market in better condition than trips landed 

 by halibut vessels of the Atlantic coast. 



Large profits were made and the business increased vmtil the rail- 

 road rates became an important factor in railroad business. The 

 increased efforts on the part of fishermen to produce fish and the 

 opening of extensive markets in the Middle West caused more vessels 

 to engage in the fishery, and in 15 years from the time of its inception 

 there was a noticeable decline in the supply. The original fishing 

 grounds in Hecate Strait and Dixon Entrance gave small returns as 

 compared to the catch of previous years. 



In the meantime, however, new banks had been discovered. Oc- 

 casionally a vessel would repair to the original ground in the hope 

 that the depletion caused by the overfishing was only temporary, 

 similar conditions having prevailed on the halibut banks of the 

 Atlantic, and the contention among fishermen being that halibut 

 w^ere as plentiful as ever, only that they had migrated to undiscovered 

 grounds. Little was known of the halibut banks along the stretch 

 of coast west of Dixon Entrance to Bering Sea, or, for that matter, 

 of the ground from 20 to 40 miles offshore between Cross Sound and 

 Yakutat Bay. 



The sharp competition in the fishery has led to increased effort to 

 secure large catches in the quickest possible time, and this necessarily 

 involves the use of more extensive fishing gear. ^ATiere formerly 4 

 skates of trawl, of 6 lines each, was considered a sufficient outfit for 

 two men, the same number of men noAV operate from 8 to 10 skates 

 (bundles) of 8 lines each, equal to 3,500 fathoms, or 21.000 feet. This 

 line is set in one continuous string, covering a distance of approxi- 

 mately 4 miles. 



