﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OP 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  99 
  

  

  made 
  toward 
  perfectiug 
  the 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  features 
  of 
  

   this 
  exceedingly 
  interesting- 
  area. 
  The 
  following 
  pelagic 
  sealing 
  vessels 
  

   were 
  boarded 
  and 
  information 
  obtained 
  from 
  them 
  regarding 
  the 
  extent 
  

   and 
  character 
  of 
  their 
  catch 
  both 
  in 
  Bering 
  Sea 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Pacific 
  

   Ocean 
  during 
  the 
  earlier 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  namely, 
  the 
  Rattler, 
  Maud 
  

   8., 
  BoreaUs, 
  M. 
  M. 
  Morrill, 
  Unterprise, 
  Vera, 
  Victoria, 
  Triumph, 
  George 
  

   W. 
  Prescott, 
  and 
  Columbia. 
  It 
  Avas 
  found 
  that 
  much 
  greater 
  care 
  was 
  

   exercised 
  in 
  discriminating 
  between 
  the 
  sexes 
  in 
  the 
  catch 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  than 
  by 
  the 
  Canadian 
  vessels, 
  due 
  no 
  doubt 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  all 
  fares 
  are 
  carefully 
  insjjected 
  by 
  custom-house 
  officials 
  when 
  

   landed 
  at 
  ports 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  while 
  no 
  such 
  precautions 
  are 
  

   taken 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  side. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  True 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Prentiss 
  embarked 
  on 
  board 
  the 
  Albatross 
  at 
  St. 
  

   Paul 
  Island 
  on 
  August 
  1*3, 
  having 
  completed 
  their 
  inquiries. 
  The 
  ves- 
  

   sel 
  was 
  at 
  Unalaska 
  from 
  August 
  25 
  to 
  30, 
  and 
  left 
  that 
  port 
  on 
  the 
  lat- 
  

   ter 
  date, 
  bound 
  south. 
  The 
  trij) 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  Kadiak, 
  Yakutat 
  

   Bay, 
  Sitka, 
  and 
  the 
  inland 
  passage 
  to 
  Kew 
  Whatcom, 
  Wash., 
  which 
  was 
  

   reached 
  on 
  September 
  18. 
  l^early 
  a 
  month 
  was 
  spent 
  in 
  the 
  Puget 
  

   Sound 
  region 
  in 
  obtaining 
  information 
  respecting 
  the 
  salmon 
  industry 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  supi)lement 
  the 
  observations 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  by 
  

   the 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  Joint 
  Fishery 
  Commission, 
  as 
  elsewhere 
  explained. 
  

   Attention 
  was 
  paid 
  chiefly 
  to 
  locating, 
  mapping, 
  and 
  photographing 
  the 
  

   large 
  salmon 
  traps 
  and 
  the 
  several 
  canneries, 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  fishing 
  

   centers 
  being 
  visited 
  for 
  that 
  pur^jose. 
  Some 
  inquiries 
  were 
  also 
  made 
  

   relative 
  to 
  the 
  fishery 
  resources 
  of 
  Hood's 
  Canal. 
  During 
  the 
  State 
  fair 
  

   held 
  at 
  ^ew 
  Whatcom, 
  the 
  Albatross 
  remained 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  at 
  that 
  

   place, 
  being 
  opened 
  up 
  to 
  visitors, 
  very 
  many 
  availing 
  themselves 
  of 
  the 
  

   opportunity 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  novel 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  ship. 
  Mr. 
  Townsend 
  

   was 
  principally 
  engaged 
  during 
  this 
  period 
  in 
  completing 
  the 
  records 
  

   concerning 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  pelagic 
  sealing 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  season 
  by 
  

   inquiries 
  at 
  Port 
  Townsend 
  and 
  Victoria 
  and 
  in 
  inspecting 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  

   returning 
  vessels. 
  

  

  Leaving 
  Puget 
  Sound 
  on 
  October 
  16, 
  the 
  Albatross 
  proceeded 
  south- 
  

   ward, 
  reaching 
  San 
  Francisco 
  on 
  the 
  20th 
  and 
  the 
  Mare 
  Island 
  navy- 
  

   yard 
  on 
  the 
  24th. 
  She 
  remained 
  at 
  the 
  latter 
  place 
  until 
  January 
  22, 
  

   1896, 
  undergoing 
  general 
  repairs 
  and 
  overhauling, 
  and 
  from 
  January 
  

   30 
  to 
  April 
  12 
  was 
  stationed 
  at 
  San 
  Diego, 
  Cal. 
  While 
  here 
  an 
  exami- 
  

   nation 
  of 
  San 
  Diego 
  Bay 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  steam 
  launch 
  and 
  

   other 
  small 
  boats, 
  the 
  object 
  of 
  this 
  inquiry 
  being 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  

   principal 
  characteristics 
  and 
  resources 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  and 
  especially 
  its 
  

   suitability 
  for 
  oyster-culture. 
  

  

  On 
  April 
  12 
  the 
  ship 
  proceeded 
  to 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Cortes 
  and 
  Tanner 
  

   banks, 
  which 
  lie 
  some 
  distance 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  in 
  about 
  the 
  latitude 
  of 
  

   San 
  Diego, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  working 
  out 
  the 
  depths 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  

   the 
  bottom 
  immediately 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  of 
  these 
  small 
  submarine 
  

   elevations, 
  which 
  seem 
  to 
  promise 
  considerable 
  inducement 
  for 
  a 
  local 
  

   fishery 
  whenever 
  a 
  demand 
  shall 
  have 
  been 
  established. 
  After 
  the 
  

  

  