36 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 
Captain Oakes has laid to on George’s Bank and caught 700 halibut in one place, while 
there were twenty-two sail of vessels fishing around him, the least successful of which caught 22,000 
pounds of fish. 
In those days prices ranged low. In April, 1852, Captain Oakes sold 10,000 pounds of halibut 
at the rate of $6 per hundred; this was an unusually high price. At that time no distinction was 
made between gray and white halibut, only the “loggy fish” were thrown out. All the halibut, he 
says, were in those days taken at a depth of from 35 to 45 fathoms. No cod were found on the 
shoal portion of the Bank. The ground was pre-occupied by the halibut. Cod were sufficiently 
abundant at the depth of 75 fathoms, and very few halibut were found in company with them. 
Jn the early days of halibut fishing on George’s the only bait he used was haddock. This was 
found to be very good and continued in favor until 1841, when the vessels began to catch herring 
on the Banks, and these were found to be better bait than haddock. * 
WELL SMACKS.—The early halibut vessels, according to Captain Merchant, were accustomed 
to carry their fish in bulk, in the hold on top of the ballast. Well smacks had come into use as 
early as 1845. In this year Mr. Merchant had the schooner Clinton, built in 1837, changed into a 
welled smack, and for several seasons ran her to Boston market. 
TRADE IN HALIBUT.—In or about the year 1849 Capt. A. W. Dodd began the business of 
buying halibut from the George’s cod fishermen and carrying them to Boston, where they were 
sold in a fresh state; his schooner was called the Neptune. In 1853 Capt. W. H. Oakes entered 
the same business with the schooner Sarah. The average fare of halibut for George’s cod fishermen 
was about 3,000 pounds. The Sarah sometimes carried 20,000 pounds to Boston at one trip, and 
never went with less than 8,000 pounds. The price realized at that time was about 23 cents per 
pound. 
THE HALIBUT SEASON.—The George’s halibut fleet was accustomed to begin operations in 
March and continued until April or May. In 1838 they continued to the 10th of June. After the 
close of the halibut season the vessels all went mackereling or to the Grand Bank after cod. 
Captain Oakes once went to George’s after halibut in February. 
SALT HALIBUT TRIPS.—The practice of salting halibut on the Banks was initiated as early as 
1850. Captain Oakes, who at that time was in the schooner Tremont, tells us that he salted a fare 
of fish in May, 1850. They were “sold to arrive,” to Henry Merchant. The schooner lay at anchor 
for three days and caught a large quantity of enormous halibut, ranging in weight from 100 to 
300 pounds. One of them weighed 347 pounds. The results of the trip were as follows: 19,000 
pounds of flitched halibut, at $1.25 per 100 pounds; 22 barrels of salted fins, at $5 per barrel; 
8,000 pounds of fresh fish, at 75 cents per hundred .pounds. Many other trips were quite as sue- 
cessful as this. 
HALIBUT FooD.—Only once during his long experience did Captain Oakes see halibut swim- 
ming at the surface. One day in April, 1845, he was on deck early in the morning and saw a large 
school of halibut playing at the surface. He supposed that they were in pursuit of herring, which 
were present in large schools at that time. 
ABUNDANCE OF HALIBUT.—Captain Marr, of Gloucester, states that when, in the schooner 
Scarlet Feather, he made the first trip to George’s Bank after cod, he caught in 33 fathoms of 
water, south and east of the north shoals, 10,000 pounds of halibut, besides 75 tubs (about 40,000 
pounds) of codfish. This was in February. Before that time no vessel had caught any consider- 
able quantity of cod in this locality because of the abundance of halibut. Some vessels had before 
this time gone to George’s for halibut in February, but none for cod. 
