FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. XLI 



cod, wliicli is the same as the species of tliat name in the Nortii Atlan- 

 tic, is one of the most important and vahied of the food fishes. The 

 Signal Service party at Point Barrow, in 1881 to 1883, found theui quite 

 plenty at most seasons of the year. Murdock uieutious this flsli as one 

 of the most important to the nativ^es. It is found at St. Michaels in 

 winter only. In Plover Bay, Siberia, we found plenty of them in Au- 

 gust and September. The species grows to about 1 foot in length. 



The waclina, so called by the Russian-speaking population, has re- 

 ceived the name of torn cod from the white traders. The Eskimo call 

 it ekathloouk. This is an Arctic species, but was not obtained by the 

 Point Barrow party during their stay. At St. Michaels it is a constant 

 resident and always abundant. It is an extremely valuable fish, botii 

 for men and dogs. The species abounds in Bering Sea, and we found it 

 very common in Cook's Inlet. It does not reach a greater length than 

 15 inches, and the maximum weight is a little more than a pound. 



The little tom cod, which belongs to the same genns as the tom cod 

 of New England, has not yet been obtained around the shores of Ber- 

 ing Sea, but in the Gulf of Alaska it is extremely plentiful, and is an 

 excellent food lish. Its size is small, scarcely reaching 1 foot in length. 



The pollock of Alaska is a much smaller species than our i)ollock, and 

 very differently marked. It has dark longitudinal bands along the 

 sides, and is a very slender lish. Although not used for food, it is one 

 of the best-known baits for cod. At the Shnmagins and on the banks 

 in the vicinity of Kodiak it is very common, and extensively used for 

 bait. This species is abundant also in Bering Sea, and extends to the 

 Okhotsk. It reaches a length of about 2 feet and a weight of 5 or G 

 pounds. 



The Alaskan cod is one of the most valuable fishes in the Territory, 

 and one of the most plentiful. It grows as large as the Eastern cod, 

 from which it does not differ specifically. It congregates in schools, and 

 is distinguished by the fishermen according to the kind of food upon 

 which it may be feeding. The schools of cod are known by the same 

 names as in the East. For example, the shore fish about the Shnma- 

 gins and Kodiak, named in order of their aj)pearance, are, the herring 

 school, the lant school, the cajielin scliool, the squid school, and the 

 winter school. Besides these, there is an abundance of bank fish, made 

 up of larger individuals than the shore fish. The favorite food species, 

 as indicated by the names of the schools, are excessively abundant. 

 There is reliable information to the effect that schools of herring many 

 miles in extent appear frequently about the fishing shores. 



I have taken forty good-sized capelin from the stomach of a rather 

 small cod on Marmot Island bank. In fact, bait is so plentiful that 

 fishermen can get their supplies upon the grounds with the greatest 

 ease. In Bering Sea the cod are just as abundant as in the Gulf of 

 Alaska, but the banks are less clearly marked out. Cod have been 

 caught on the American shores as far north as 01° 30'. The greatest cen- 

 ters of abundance known at present to the fishermen are about the Shu- 

 magiu Islands, Cook's Inlet, and throughout the Aleutian chain. Young 

 cod are among the commonest shore fishes at Kadiak, the Shnmagins, 

 and Oonalaska, and the principal fishing for the large fish in most lo- 

 calities is at distances from the shore so small, that the men go out to 

 the grounds and bring in their catch in dories. 



There is in the Gulf of Alaska and in Bering Sea, especially at Oona- 

 laska, a small fish called o.usk, which is not closely related to the cusk 

 of New England, but belongs to the family of TraehinUhv. This fish 

 seldom exceeds a foot in length and is not used for food, but at the 

 Shumagin Islands it is one of the most val'iable of all the baits for cod. 



