LII REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
on Relations with Canada, for the purpose of visiting southeastern 
Alaska, and, her services being accepted, arrangements were made 
accordingly. The steamer proceeded to Victoria, British Columbia, 
to meet the members of the committee, but a change in their plans 
becoming necessary, the trip was finally abandoned. The surveys off 
Washington and Oregon were at once taken up, however, where they 
had been stopped the previous fall, and were still in progress at the 
close of the year. During both seasons the operations were mainly 
restricted to the outer seacoast, although the inshore fisheries received 
due attention while the steamer was in port. 
No soundings were made north of Cape Flattery, as the contour of the 
bottom at the mouth of the Straits of Fuca had previously been deter- 
mined with sufficient accuracy for fishery purposes. The dredging and 
fishing appliances, however, were used in several places on the halibut 
bank described below. Hydrographic observations were carried south- 
ward from Cape Flattery, the bottom being uniform and consisting 
chiefly of gray sand as far as Gray’s Harbor,, oft* which place a small 
bank was discovered and surveyed. Rock-cod and other food-fishes 
were taken there in abundance, but no specimens of the true cod or 
halibut were secured. The coast of Oregon was examined as far south 
as Heceta Bank, the only distinctive offshore fishing-ground thus far 
detected in that region. A few fishing-spots occur along the shore, how- 
ever, the most important one being adjacent to Tillamook Rock, a short 
distance south of the mouth of the Columbia River. Heceta Bank has 
a length of about 20 miles and a width of about 10 miles. The bottom 
is very uneven and supports an exceedingly rich growth of animal life, 
affording abundant food for fishes. Several varieties of rock- cod were 
very plentiful, and other valuable species were not uncommon, one small 
halibut also being captured there. The Tillamook Rock ground is only 
adapted to boat fishing, but in June four halibut were taken upon it, 
while an abundance of flounders, rock-cod, and other species were 
secured by means of the beam trawl, both in the vicinity of the rock 
and elsewhere along the coast. The investigations of the Albatross 
indicate, however, that the halibut fishery as a separate industry could 
not profitably be carried on in this region. 
A halibut bank, resorted to by the Indians, begins close to the shore 
in the vicinity of Cape Flattery and extends thence northwestward 
about 15 miles with depths of 35 to 75 fathoms. Halibut are said to be 
abundant there from early in the spring until the middle of June, when 
the bank becomes infested with dogfish and sharks. The bottom is 
exceedingly variable and was found to be very rich in life. North of this 
bank as far as Barclay Sound, Vancouver Island, the bottom is smoother 
and less promising in every respect. A second halibut bank occurs 
off Flattery Rocks and extends in the direction of Cape Flattery, but 
it is smaller and much less important than the first. In the course 
of the fishing trials made by the Albatross , during the fall of 1888, it 
