192 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [4] 
The fine salmon of the coast might afford profitable fishing. This opin- 
ion is founded upon the quantity of these fish the natives catch with 
their rude appliances, and sell for $4 to $8 a barrel to the Danish trade 
agents. If the American fishermen were acquainted with the deep fiords, 
and should engage in this fishery with all the modern improvements for 
seine fishing, they would probably meet with great success. There is, 
however, this probable limit: the fish are caught mostly in June and 
July when they visit the mouths of the fresh-water creeks. After this 
they become scarce, but, if the fishermen do not succeed in securing a 
cargo of salmon, they have at least a month, after the salmon season is 
over, during which they can set their trawls for halibut. 
The average of 113,233 pounds of salt halibut for a trip is a good 
average, but does not represent fully what the fishery may become in 
the future. For, several of the trips were made the conclusion of cod- 
fishing trips to the Grand Banks, and the vessels were already partly 
filled with cod, leaving not enough room for a full cargo of halibut. 
Thus the Mary E., in 1871, ’79, ’80, and ’81, fished first on Flemish 
Cap, and from there went to Greenland. In 1871 she did not reach the 
Davis Strait fishing-ground until August 20, and left off fishing August 
28, but during these eight days she secured 30,000 pounds of halibut. 
In 1879 the Herman Babson had on board 60,000 pounds of codfish, 
which she brought from the Grand Banks. If we omit from our calcu- 
lations the Mary E., which is comparatively a small vessel, the above 
average will be increased to nearly 121,000 pounds for each trip. 
Again, since the fishermen first visited Davis’ Strait, the methods 
of fishing in that region have altered considerably, principally because 
the first fishermen were unacquainted with the fishing banks, and were 
afraid to remain on them whenever the wind showed signs of increasing 
toa gale. Because of this, visits to the harbor were frequent, and much 
time was lost in regaining the banks after the blow was over. The cus- 
tom now is to remain on the banks as much as possible, and to fish at 
every opportunity, and, had this method been employed from the start, 
the average would have been considerably larger. 
The success of the Bunker Hill, in 1881, proves this beyond a doubt. 
This vessel, though not arriving upon the banks until July 11, com- 
menced fishing before going into the harbor, and by persistent effort, in 
spite of unfavorable weather, secured the largest fare of any vessel since 
the beginning of the fishery. 
In the future, competition among the fishermen will become greater, 
knowledge of harbors and fishing banks more definite and wide-spread, 
improved methods of fishing will be introduced, and, as the demand for 
the fish and the confidence of the fishermen increase, the Greenland 
halibut fishery will grow until it may even rival in importance the sum- 
mer fishery of the Grand Banks. 
