mi'. MAI. HUT.- MK;I;ATK>NS. 



eateh dl' Halibut in l-ss tli:in one hundred fathoms on any of the banks. The great school* dial 

 won found in the western part of die Crand Hank in February and March, 187(iand 1877, appear to 

 l>c migrating. The fish dial were found to the south of latitude 44 north were mostly small-sized 

 white Halibut. They went off die bank into deep water, and nobody knew what became of them. 

 Those that were eanght to the north of this parallel were mostly large gray fish, and were traced a* 

 far as Saint Peter's P.ank. These are possibly the same fish they are certainly the same kind of 

 tish that struck in on the western coast of Newfoundland in the summer months in pursuit of 

 eapeUo." 



Gapt. George A. Johnson states that the large Halibut frequent the outer and deeper part 

 of die banks, while the little "bull fish" lie inside, on shallower ground, and are caughton the inner 

 end of the trawl lines, but that sometimes the large Halibut come up on the shallow grounds. 



On the coast of Newfoundland, Anticosti, and Labrador, Halibut frequently run inshore in 

 summer after capelin. When in shallow water near the shore they are usually wild and very active. 

 The fishermen within eight years have extended their fishing much farther out to sea; previous to 

 that time the greater part of the Halibut were taken on the top of the Grand Bank in thirty to 

 fifty fathoms of water, but after the beginning of April the fish went elsewhere, and the fishermen 

 lost sight of them. They soon learned, however, to follow them down the slopes of the banks, but 

 before 1870 had rarely fished in water deeper than seventy to ninety fathoms. Since that time, as 

 has already been stated, fishing has been carried into twice or three times that depth. All that can 

 at present be said in explanation of their movements is that they occur in great schools, and, soon 

 consuming the available food in any one locality, are obliged to shift their position to some other 

 place where they can find fresh pastures. It does not seem possible that their migrations can be 

 caused by conditions of temperature or are in connection with their breeding habits. During the 

 breeding season the schools sometimes remain for months in one locality, and these places are 

 generally of limited extent. While spawning but little if any food is found in their stomachs. 



FOOD. They are large-mouthed, sharp-toothed, voracious, although adapted for life upon the 

 bottom, and doubtless feed largely upon crabs and mollusks; they are particularly fond offish of 

 all kinds ; these they waylay, lying upon the bottom, invisible by reason of their flat bodies, colored 

 to correspond with the general color of the sand or mud upon which they rest. When in pursuit 

 of their prey they are active, and often come quite to the surface, especially when in the summer 

 they follow the capeliu to the shoal water near the land. They feed upon skates, cod, haddock, 

 menhaden, mackerel, herring, lobsters, flounders, sculpins, grenadiers, turbot, Norway haddock, 

 bank clams, and anything else that is eatable and can be found in the same waters. Captain Ashby 

 tells me that common flounders and flat fish are among their most favorite food; they follow them 

 up on the shoals of George's and Xantucket ; they lie in wait for them on the sand-rips and catch 

 them as they swim over. He has seen a half bushel of flat fish in the stomach of one; they stow 

 them away very tightly. He has often seen Halibut chasing flat fish over the surface of the water. 

 About Cape Sable their favorite food seems to be haddock and cusk. He has seen eight or ten pounds 

 of haddock and cod taken out of one of them. When they are on the shoals they are sometimes 

 tilled with flat-fish, haddock, cusk, sculpin, and herring, but when in deep water he has found very 

 little food in them. They eat crabs and other crustaceans, but shells are rarely found in their 

 stomachs, except those of clams and mussels. 



Captain Hurlbert tells me that when the vessels are dressing codfish on the Grand P.anks, and 

 the back-bones and head are thrown overl>oard, these are frequently found in the stomachs of 

 Halibut taken in the same locality. 



