﻿LII 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  Unfortunately, 
  the 
  stranding 
  of 
  the 
  Concord 
  near 
  Arichat, 
  Cape 
  Bre- 
  

   ton, 
  whereby 
  her 
  voyage 
  was 
  broken 
  up, 
  and 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  Alice 
  M. 
  

   Williams 
  off 
  Iceland, 
  when 
  just 
  on 
  the 
  eve 
  of 
  sailing 
  for 
  home, 
  were 
  

   serious 
  drawbacks 
  to 
  the 
  complete 
  success 
  of 
  the 
  fleet. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  weather 
  was 
  unusually 
  severe 
  and 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  ice 
  

   close 
  in 
  to 
  Cape 
  North 
  for 
  several 
  days 
  interfered 
  with 
  fishing, 
  halibut 
  

   were 
  so 
  abundant 
  that 
  large 
  catches 
  were 
  obtained, 
  and 
  all 
  that 
  re- 
  

   turned 
  home 
  brought 
  full 
  fares, 
  with 
  the 
  single 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  Mar- 
  

   guerite. 
  She 
  started 
  from 
  Gloucester 
  some 
  time 
  after 
  the 
  other 
  vessels 
  

   and 
  arrived 
  in 
  Iceland 
  so 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  (June 
  1) 
  that 
  she 
  could 
  fish 
  

   only 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  before 
  the 
  weather 
  grew 
  too 
  boisterous 
  to 
  stay 
  on 
  the 
  

   bank. 
  Her 
  captain 
  reported 
  having 
  found 
  excellent 
  fishing 
  whenever 
  

   the 
  weather 
  was 
  suitable 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  operations. 
  On 
  one 
  occasion 
  he 
  

   estimates 
  that 
  his 
  crew 
  caught 
  50,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  halibut 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  

   set 
  of 
  the 
  trawl-lines. 
  During 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  June 
  alone 
  the 
  Marguerite 
  

   caught 
  80,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  Hitched 
  halibut. 
  

  

  The 
  banks 
  about 
  Iceland 
  afford 
  our 
  fishermen 
  richer 
  returns 
  in 
  the 
  

   salt-halibut 
  fishery 
  than 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  elsewhere. 
  It 
  seems 
  safe 
  to 
  pre- 
  

   dict 
  that 
  this 
  new 
  field 
  for 
  their 
  enterprise, 
  which 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  their 
  

   notice 
  by 
  the 
  Commission, 
  will 
  be 
  worked 
  in 
  the 
  future, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  

   years, 
  with 
  satisfactory 
  results. 
  This 
  is 
  all 
  the 
  more 
  gratifying, 
  too, 
  in 
  

   view 
  of 
  the 
  marked 
  depletion 
  of 
  the 
  halibut 
  on 
  the 
  old 
  grounds 
  and 
  the 
  

   practical 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  from 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  .accustomed 
  to 
  

   obtain 
  the 
  fish 
  used 
  for 
  smoking. 
  

  

  15.— 
  SMOKED 
  KINGFISH. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  practical 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  0". 
  S. 
  Fish 
  Commission, 
  the 
  op- 
  

   portunity 
  occasionally 
  arises 
  to 
  introduce 
  to 
  fish-dealers, 
  and 
  through 
  

   them 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  public, 
  a 
  new 
  variety 
  of 
  food-fish, 
  or 
  to 
  investigate 
  

   and 
  recommend 
  new 
  methods 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  which 
  fish 
  can 
  be 
  prepared 
  

   for 
  the 
  markets. 
  Such 
  work 
  is 
  clearly 
  in 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  both 
  producers 
  

   and 
  consumers, 
  and 
  even 
  when 
  nothing 
  of 
  great 
  consequence 
  comes 
  

   from 
  it, 
  it 
  at 
  least 
  adds 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge 
  and 
  resources. 
  In 
  illustra- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  this 
  the 
  Commission 
  caused 
  experiments 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  in 
  prepar- 
  

   ing 
  kiugfish 
  by 
  smoking, 
  and 
  then 
  tested 
  their 
  edible 
  qualities 
  when 
  so 
  

   prepared. 
  After 
  concluding 
  and 
  announcing 
  such 
  experiments, 
  it 
  must 
  

   be 
  left 
  to 
  interested 
  parties 
  to 
  develop 
  a 
  new 
  industry, 
  or 
  to 
  make 
  such 
  

   use 
  of 
  it 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  desirable 
  or 
  necessary. 
  

  

  Kingfish 
  from 
  off 
  Key 
  West 
  are 
  to 
  a 
  limited 
  extent 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  mar- 
  

   kets 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  cities 
  during 
  the 
  winter, 
  and 
  are 
  well 
  liked 
  as 
  a 
  fresh 
  

   fish. 
  The 
  favorite 
  ground 
  for 
  catching 
  them 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Som- 
  

   brero 
  Key, 
  in 
  which 
  region 
  kingfish 
  are 
  usually 
  very 
  abundant 
  from 
  

   November 
  to 
  April.* 
  The 
  method 
  of 
  fishing 
  is 
  by 
  trail-lines, 
  at 
  which, 
  

  

  * 
  For 
  fuller 
  information 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  this 
  fishery, 
  see 
  article 
  by 
  Capt. 
  J. 
  \V. 
  Collins 
  

   on 
  Gulf 
  fisheries, 
  in 
  tin- 
  appendix 
  of 
  this 
  volume, 
  p. 
  2G7. 
  

  

  