FBESH-HALIBUT FISHERY. 61 
to the gear being too small to hold them. The Mystic also found fair halibut fishing near the 
same place, but in shoal water. The fish were of excellent quality, but evidently their occurrence 
there was accidental, or at least very temporary. Had their presence in this locality been perma- 
nent in the least degree, ihe region would have soon been covered by the trawl-lines of the halibut 
fleet. 
Two events of a remarkable character, and which seem worthy of particular mention, occurred 
during the seasons of 188182. These were (1) the discovery of a new fishing ground, and (2) the 
occurrence, at a season when it was least to be expected, of halibut in almost unequaled numbers in 
a well-known and long-frequented region. 
During most of the season of 1881, and particularly in the fall, halibut were scarce on most of 
the fishing grounds along the edge of the outer banks. Consequently, the inducement was great 
for the skippers to seek new and unttied fields, where perhaps fish might be found in undisturbed 
abundance. With this end in view, Capt. George A. Johnson, of the schooner Augusta H. John- 
son, in the autumn of 1881, crossed the Grand Bank and fished in the deep water on its eastern 
slope, where, so far as I know, no systematic research had previously been made. I was told by 
an acquaintance several years ago that a vessel had sought for halibut along the eastern edge of 
~the Grand Bank as early as 1877, but had failed to find any, the skipper reporting that the bottom 
declined so suddenly that it was useless to attempt to anchor or set trawls. The recent researches 
in this region have shown that the statement was entirely wrong, and give reason to doubt the prob- 
ability of the vessel having visited the deep water on the east side of the Bank. Anchoring in 110 
fathoms, latitude 43° 55’ N., longitude 49° 8’ W., Capt. Johnson found halibut plenty, and made 
lurge catches on trawls set to the eastward of his vessel and in somewhat deeper water. In six 
days’ fishing he secured a fare of between 50,000 and 60,000 pounds of halibut, most of which 
were large “gray” fish. It is somewhat remarkable that when halibut are found on grounds not 
previously fished on a large percentage of the catch are generally ‘“‘gray” fish, and with rare 
exceptions these are above the average size. Instances are somewhat uncommon where medium- 
sized “white” halibut have predominated on newly-tried fields, but occasionally such cases have 
occurred. After several years’ fishing in one locality the quality of the halibut generally im- 
proves, the fish being of smaller size and in finer condition. od 
The same schooner on her next trip—this time commanded by another man—revisited the new 
ground, but the winter season had then so far advanced that there was a constant succession of 
furious gales. The prevalence of strong northerly winds caused an unusually rapid flow of. the 
polar current, which often sweeps down by the eastern side of the Grand Bank with such velocity 
as to render fishing nearly impracticable, and in consequence of this combination of unfavorable 
circumstances very little was accomplished. In the spring of 1882 Captain Johnson went to this 
place again and had remarkable success. His good fortune was soon noised abroad, whereupon 
many of the other halibut schooners made similar ventures, the result being that the eastern side 
of the Grand Bank was pretty thoroughly tried over from latitude 43° 15’ to 44° 30’ nérth, in 
depths varying from 100 to 300 fathoms. At many points along this stretch halibut were abun- 
dant, but a strong polar current caused the fishermen much loss of gear, while the prevalence of 
dense fogs, together with the proximity of numerous icebergs, rendered fishing in that locality so 
hazardous that the majority of the skippers were glad to resort to other grounds, even where, per- 
haps, the prospect of finding large numbers of fish was not so good. Several of the vessels lost 
most of their trawls before they bad secured a full fare, and few that fished on the eastern side of 
the Bank returned to port without having met with some damage to their gear. Where strong 
currents prevail in deep water the buoys which mark the position of the trawl-lines are dragged 
