THE FISHERIES OF ALASKA IK 1906. 49 



prices dropped until many of the Pacific coast fishermen either 

 ceased fishing for the time being or else restricted the amount taken. 

 During part of the summer the New England Fisheries Company, 

 which has its headquarters in Victoria, British Columbia, and is one 

 of the largest shippers on the coast, limited its steamers to 100,000 

 pounds of halibut per trip ; and at this very time halibut were unusu- 

 ally abundant on the southeast Alaska banks, so that the biggest 

 catches ever made were possible then had the money return justi- 

 fied the efl"ort. The coast dealers, recognizing the disadvantages of 

 depending too much upon the eastern markets, are now putting 

 forth strenuous efi'orts to build up a trade west of the Alleghanies 

 and are succeeding admirably. The demand for halibut from the 

 coast cities and towns also is increasing at a remarkably rapid rate 

 as the fish becomes better known, and it is very probable that within 

 a few years three-fourths of the Pacific halibut will be marketed west 

 of the Mississippi River. 



For about four or five months the big plant at Tee Harbor was 

 closed on account of a strike of the fishermen. They had been receiv- 

 ing 27 cents per fish for all halibut over 15- pounds in weight, but 

 demanded 30 cents. As most of the halibut taken in the summer 

 months are fletched, the strike caused a great reduction in the year's 

 prodiict prepared in this manner. 



The lack of bait sometimes hampers the fishermen. Herring, the 

 bait used almost exclusively and at times very abundant, are often 

 not to be found for periods of a week or two. During the late fall 

 and winter the demand is very heavy, for the Puget Sound andAlaskan 

 fleets, numbering 41 vessels, rendezvous at Petersburg, at the head 

 of Wrangell Narrows. Fresh herring make the best bait, but fre- 

 quently the fishermen have to fall back upon the salted. There is 

 need of a small cold-storage plant at Petersburg, which could buy 

 up the herring during the summer and fall, when they are most 

 abundant, and retain them in cold storage for the winter demand, 

 and it is probable that such a plant will be in operation during the 

 latter part of 1907. A company has been organized, and the work 

 has begun. 



Advices were received late in the year to the eft'ect that halibut 

 were being found in large numbers on the banks, and there were 

 indications that the winter catch would be the largest known for some 

 time. That it would be profitable, also, was assured by the fact that 

 in winter the Alaska banks are about the only available Pacific source 

 of supply for American fishermen, and prices are consequently high. 



The experiment of using steam trawlers in Atlantic waters the last 

 year or two created considerable interest among the Pacific halibut 

 fishermen, and in the early part of 1906 two steam trawlers were 

 fitted out by a British Columbia company to work on the banks along 



