THE WHALE FISHERY. 85 



Statement showing the numlxr of American vessels in the North Pacific fleet each ymr and their catch, <f-c. Continued. 



Year. 



No. of 



vessels. 



1847 



1848 



1849 



1850 



1851 



1852 



1853 



1854 



1855 .... 

 1856 



1858 



1859 .... 



I860 



1861 



1862 



1863 



1864.. 



1865 



1866 



1867 



1868 .... 

 1869 



1871 



l ,-7-J 



1K74 



1875 



1S77 



1878 



179 .... 

 1880t.... 



Total 



177 



159 



155 



144 



138 



278 



288 



23'J 



217 



178 



143 



196 



176 



121 



76 



32 



42 



68 



59 



95 



90 



61 



43 



46 



35 



27 



30 



23 



16 



18 



19 



17 



21 



19 



Average 



barrels 



whale oil. 



4,300 



1,059 



1,164 



1, 334 



1,692 



626 



1,343 



912 



794 



873 



822 



796J 



620 



535 



518 



724 



610 



857 



522 



617 



598 



640 



708 



890 



1,069 



no 



676 



883 



1,355 



1,096 

 770 



1,406 



Total 



barrels 



whale oil. 



187, 443 

 185,256 

 i'06. 850 

 243,618 



373, 450 



217, 056 



184, 063 



189, 579 



146, 410 



.113,900 



121, 650 



94,160 



62, 678 



55,024 



19, 525 



36, 010 



35, 490 



36, 415 

 56,925 

 57, 620 

 43, 230 

 38,275 

 49, 205 



111, 730 

 20,295 

 20, 380 

 21,680 

 5,250 



17. r.3(l 

 13, 080 



18, 800 

 26, 700 



3, 994, 397 



Total pounds 

 whalebone.* 



627, 500 

 525, 000 

 659, 550 



15, 000 

 258, 200 

 239, 300 

 222, 100 

 230, 460 



35,200 

 153,800 

 114,200 

 200, 500 

 409, 000 



Eemarka. 



Two of the fleet lost, the George and Mary and Paulina. 



Also eleven foreign vessels. 



Also seven foreign vessels that took 4,370 barrels oil, 66,000 pounds bone. 



Also six foreign vessels that took 6,475 barrels oil, 85,000 pounds bone. 



Also nine foreign vessels that took 8,080 barrels oil, 97,000 pounds bone. 



All but seven of the fleet were lost, including four foreign vessels. 



Also four foreign vessels took 1,900 barrels oil, 29,400 pounds bone. 



Also fonr foreign vessels; two of them took 980 barrels oil, 5,300 pounds bone. 



Also four foreign vessels that took 2,530 barrels oil, 25,000 pounds bone. 



Also four foreign vessels that took 3,450 barrels oil, 36,800 pounds bone. 



All but eight of the fleet lost, also two foreign vessels. 



Three of the fleet were lost. One foreign vessel took 300 barrels oil, 3, 000 pounds bone. 



One of the fleet lost. 



Three of the fleet lost. 



* A lelio whalebone not recorded separate prior to 1868. 



t Sinco tbe above was compiled the reports for subsequent years have been received, as follows : 1881, 23 vessels, 24, 740 barrels of whale 



oil, 387,000 pounds whalebones 1882, 32 vessels, 22,975 barrels whale oil, 360,500 pounds whalebone; 1883, 38 vessels, 10,155 barrels whale oil, 



159. 400 pounds whalebone; 1884, 39 vessels, 20,450 barrels whale oil. 318,700 pounds whalebone. The fleet in 1880 included two steamers, in 



; lie number of steamers had im;i cased to nine. Another marked change In this fishery is the larger proportion of vessels hailing from 



San Francisco, as is shown on subsequent p:i^es in the details of each year's voyage. 



The cruising grounds of the fleet, prior to 1848, were south of Bering Strait, chiefly on the Northwest Ground. In 1848 a vessel passed 

 through the Strait and was very successful. From that date the Arctic fleet increased rapidly in numbers. Since the year 1868 the principal 

 of the North Pacific fleet (so called) has been the Arctic Ocean north of Bering Strait, as shown on following pages. 



