Cobb. — Halibut Fishery Declining 133 



less intensively fished. However this may be, it is evi- 

 dent that a large majority of fish caught do not reach 

 maturity." 



So far as published, his investigations show that the 

 fish from Hecate Strait and off Kodiak Island attain ma- 

 turity at twelve years of age. He also states that he 

 believes the maximum age attained by the halibut to be 

 about twenty-five years. 



The above shows plainly that a large proportion of the 

 fish caught are immature, i. e., fish which have never 

 spawned. As the halibut roe contains about 2,000,000 

 eggs as compared with say about 2,000 eggs in a salmon 

 roe, this superabundance of eggs deposited by the halibut 

 counterbalances in some degree the late maturity of the 

 species. It is, plain, however, that the first object of the 

 authorities should be so to protect the halibut that a 

 larger proportion may attain to maturity, and the first 

 step should be to prevent the catching of small halibut, 

 knows as "chicken" halibut. 



Early History of the Fishery: — The present extensive 

 halibut fisheries of the Pacific owe their inception to 

 the publication in 1886 of a series of very optimistic let- 

 ters in the Cape Ann Advertiser, of Gloucester, Mass. 

 The enterprising spirit of the New England fishermen 

 prompted them to consider the matter favorably, par- 

 ticularly as they knew from the most reliable sources that 

 halibut were abundant off Cape Flattery at certain sea- 

 sons. The native fishermen had fished here for their own 

 use (the surplus being sold to the whites living on the 

 shores of Puget Sound) for many years previous. 



The pelagic fur-seal fishery, which was then lawful 

 and quite profitable, was another strong inducement for 

 the eastern fishermen to make the venture of sailing 

 "around the Horn," for some believed that this offered 

 unusual opportunities for financial success, while they 

 thought the period between sealing seasons might be 

 profitably utilized by engaging in halibut fishing. The 

 men who entered upon this experiment were among the 

 most skillful, daring and adventurous of their class and, 



