10 SURVEY OF FISHING GROUNDS, 1915. 
patches of good halibut bottom are located by dotted lines and 
numbered with Roman numerals. In Chart 3, Willapa Bay to 
Cascade Head, one reported halibut fishing ground which was not 
found by the Albatross is indicated by a different style of dotted 
lines. 
In taking up the discussion of the character and topography of the 
bottom the region investigated during 1915 falls naturally into four 
sections and that investigated during 1914 into three, viz: (a) Flattery 
section, in which four lines of soundings were made from the edge of 
the continental shelf extending seaward 300 miles; (6) Grays Harbor 
section, reaching south from the edge of Flattery Bank to Grays 
Harbor; (c) Columbia River section, which takes in the area off the 
Columbia River and south to Tillamook Bay, where (d) Tillamook 
section begins; this runs south to Cascade Head; (e) Newport sec- 
tion; (f) Heceta Bank section; and (gy) Coos Bay section. The last 
three were covered by the 1914 investigation. 
Flattery section—Extending 50 miles west of Cape Flattery, the 
continental shelf contains numerous outcroppings of rocky ledges and 
patches of pebbles and gravel. At the western edge the bottom, 
which drops to a depth of 1,000 fathoms in a distance of 25 miles, 
is composed largely of gray sand changing to green or gray mud as 
the depth increases. On the first line of soundings this green mud 
persists for over 100 miles, beyond which it is replaced by a brown 
ooze. On the other three lines the brown ooze is found inshore to 
the 1,000-fathom line. Only at one sounding was Globigerina ooze 
found, although the calcareous remains of Foraminifera were present 
in nearly every sample of the bottom. At one station the mud 
appeared nearly black, while at one other a sample of yellow mud 
was obtained. 
Lying 279 miles west-southwest (S. 66° W. true) from Cape Flat- 
tery, Gibson Bank was discovered with a surrounding depth of over 
1,500 fathoms. It was first located at a depth of 635 fathoms, and 
at an interval of 2 miles the mimimum depth of 525 fathoms was 
obtamed. Two miles farther the depth increased to 830 fathoms 
and after a run of 25 miles to 1,600 fathoms. A series of soundings 
were made around the 525-fathom depth with the result that no 
bottom was found at 700 fathoms. From all indications Gibson 
Bank is an isolated submarine peak with a summit less than 2 miles 
in diameter. Thesame brown ooze which predominates over this sec- 
tion outside the 1,000-fathom curve is found covering Gibson Bank. 
Specimens of Foraminifera (Globigerina) are present, but not in suf- 
ficient numbers to warrant characterizing the bottom as Globigerina 
ooze. The discovery of this bank adds strength to the rumors of 
shoal water lying off Cape Flattery and off Cape Scott, the northern 
