HALIBUT FISHING GROUNDS OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 9 



that in the near future other plants will be erected at suitable places 

 along the Alaskan coast adjacent to the fishing grounds. As the 

 fishery increases in importance and grounds lying farther west are 

 resorted to, as is likely to be the case, it will no doubt be found very 

 necessary to establish cold-storage plants or employ fishermen to 

 furnish bait fresh from the water. 



There seems to be a far greater loss and waste of fishing gear on 

 the halibut banks of the Pacific than the Atlantic, caused largely 

 by vessels fishing close together. As stated elsewhere, many of the 

 minor grounds are found by means of landmarks, and at times when 

 a fleet of three or four steamers and as many sailing vessels are 

 fishing on a small area, each vessel trying to secure a trip in the 

 quickest possible time, the operations are generally somewhat, reck- 

 less, trawls being frequently set across and on top of each other to 

 such an extent that it is difficult to haul them. At such times it 

 is not an uncommon occurrence for a dory to lose 5 or 6 lines of 

 trawl and frequently several skates. At other times, on account of 

 stormy weather, especially during the winter months, whole "strings " 

 of gear are lost with the entire catch. It often happens that fisher- 

 men are suddenly interrupted in hauling their trawls by a heavy 

 gale, rendering it necessary to cut the gear, which as a rule is seldom 

 ]'ecovered, remaining on the bottom together with the catch, which 

 pollutes the ground and undoubtedly has more or less of an injurious 

 effect on the fishery. It is stated by fishermen that several inshore 

 grounds have in this manner been greatly abused. 



Until recent years the halibut fisheiy on the Pacific coast has been 

 confined to comparatively shallow water, 40 fathoms being about the 

 average depth. In the last three years, however, many of the grounds, 

 such as Cape Scott, Hecate Strait, Rose Spit, North Island, and 

 grounds in the channels and bays of southeast Alaska, have shown 

 signs of depletion and the fleet has investigated in greater depths. 

 Trawls set in 70 or 80 fathoms are more difficult to haul than if set 

 in shallow depths, especially if there is a strong tide running, as is 

 frequently the case on shore grounds. Until eastern fishennen en- 

 gaged in the halibut fishery on the Pacific coast a depth of 100 

 fathoms was not considered. At the present time fishing is carried 

 on wherever halibut are found, regardless of the depth. 



The fishing banks of Canada near the British Columbia coast are 

 situated between Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, and Cape Flat- 

 tery. They include the shallow waters along the Pacific coast reach- 

 ing from the land offshore to where the depth is 1,000 feet, a width 

 of from 15 to 4:0 miles ; also the shoaler parts of the great inlets that 

 extend into the continent at Queen Charlotte Sound between Van- 

 couver and Queen Charlotte Islands, and those between Queen Char- 

 lotte Islands and Prince of Wales Island extending inshore to where 



