708 REPOET OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [8] 



ing 1,000 hooks, in from 90 to 110 fathoms, pebbly bottom ; position 

 (5013), lat. 42° 50' K ; long. 03° 20' W. This set was made chiefly to 

 procure cod, hake, etc., to use as bait for catching halibut. There was 

 also some probability of catching a few of the latter species. The total 

 catch was as follows : GO cod ; 81 hake (P. chuss) ; 37 cusk (Brosmius 

 americanus); 5 pollock (Pollachius carbonarius); 2 small skates; a few 

 shells, chiefly whelks (Buccinum), and some sea anemones. The follow- 

 ing birds were collected during the day : G common hagdons (Puffinus 

 major), 1 black or sooty hagdon (P. fuliginosus), 7 jaegers, and 1 young 

 herring gull. 



It was rainy during the first part of the 29th, and too rough and blowy 

 to fish. In the afternoon the weather improved slightly, but the wind 

 blew fresh all day, with occasional squalls and a choppy sea. Shortly 

 before noon the M. A. Baston's dories went out to haul the trawls which 

 had been set the previous evening. Soon after, we passed close to the 

 Baston's stern, and Captain Thompson hailed, saying he had ordered his 

 men to give us any small halibut they should get which appeared to be 

 strong enough to live in our well. Being very desirous of ascertaining 

 whether or not halibut that were caught in deep water (200 to 350 

 fathoms) could be kept alive in a vessel's well, I deemed it best to ac- 

 cept this generous offer. Accordingly, during the afternoon we got 4 

 halibut from the Baston's dories, the fish varying in size from 18 to 

 about 50 pounds weight each. They appeared tolerably lively when put 

 into the well, but they soon died, the last of them being dead on the 

 following morning. The birds collected on the 29th were as follows: 3 

 hagdons, 1 noddy (Fulmarus glacialis), and 4 jaegers. 



September 30 was moderate, with fog in the latter part of the day. 

 We set two halibut trawls to the westward of the M. A. Baston, begin- 

 ning to set about 2 miles from her in 321 fathoms. The strong cur- 

 rent carried the gear nearly 2 miles to the westward before it fetched 

 up. The depth at the northwestern end of the trawls, where they 

 brought up, was 2GG fathoms. After the gear was set, and while we 

 were waiting for the time to arrive when it should be hauled (between 

 10 and 11.30 a. in.), several birds were shot, as follows: 8 hags (P. major), 

 4 kittiwake gulls, and G jaegers. 



Much difficulty was experienced in hauling the trawls, owing to the 

 great tenacity of the sticky clay bottom, into which the anchors were 

 buried. The difficulty was increased by one of the trawls of the schooner 

 Gertie May, of Portland, going across one of ours, the result being that 

 our gear parted and we lost nearly half of one trawl.* 



We caught 19 halibut, 14 of which were put into the well alive. 

 Eleven of the live halibut were caught on a portion of trawl that we 



* The Gertie May had just arrived at this place, from the eastward, and had set under 

 sail some tiuie after our gear was out. The current swept one of her trawls afoul of 

 one of ours — a result that could not be anticipated, since no indications of the strong 

 westerly tide were apparent to one on a vessel under sail, more particularly as there 

 was little surface current. 



