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FRESH-HALIBUT FISHERY. 63 
the halibut came from some undiscovered bank to the eastward and passed across the Grand Bank 
on their way north and west toward Newfoundland, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Labrador, &c., 
was, I thiux, the general belief of the fishermen, at least of such as took the trouble to formulate 
any theory. The discovery of halibut along the east side of the Grand Bank seemingly settles this 
question, and it is undoubtedly a fact that the great schools of thi§ species which for many years 
have been known to migrate northwesterly in the spring make their winter residence on the eastern 
slope, in depths varying from 100 to probably 400 fathoms. 
Fortunately, halibut were discovered in remarkable abundance in the early summer of 1882 on 
another and well-known fishing ground, thus rendering it unnecessary for the fishermen to be 
longer exposed to so many losses and perils as they bad experienced on the east side of the Grand 
Bank. ; , 
On the deeply-submerged plateau which extends in a northwesterly direction from the north- 
west prong of the Grand Bank to Saint Peter’s Bank, forming a sort of border to the southern end 
of Green Bank—by which name this area of bottom is usually called by the fishermen—in depths 
varying from 112 to 250 fathoms, halibut of the finest quality and in extraordinary numbers were 
found. This locality has been famous for the abundance of halibut in the spring of the year since 
the discovery of the deep-water fishery in 1875. Since then, however, notwithstanding the fact 
that large schools of this species have been found off Green Bank almost every spring, it has 
appeared from the movements of the fish that they were migrating to more northern regions, and 
that they were only passing over these grounds, pausing slightly, perhaps, in their course, or, at least, 
moving slowly. On several occasions the movements of these fish have been pretty definitely traced 
along the southwestern side of Saint Peter’s Bank, and into the deep water between this Bank and 
the shores of Newfoundland. ; 
# Fora period of four to six weeks, generally in March and April, large fares were obtained 
between the northwest prong of the Grand Bank and Saint Peter’s Bank. After that interval, 
however, the fish became scarce, and rarely did it happen that they were sufficiently plenty during 
-the summer for vessels to obtain good fares there. In this connection it may be well to mention 
that in the summer of 1878 the schooner Gwendolen found a new fishing ground some twenty miles 
to the southwest of Saint Peter’s Bank in a depth of about 200 fathoms, where no soundings are laid 
down on the charts. She succeeded in taking several large fares, but other schooners learning of 
her good fortune resorted in such numbers to the same grounds that in September of that-year the 
school had been broken up, nor was any large catch of halibut made on that ground afterward. 
Allusion is made to this fact because the locality is not far from that region off Green Bank 
now under discussion, and also because, with this exception, halibut were rarely found abundant 
in the summer in its immediate vicinity from 1875 until 1882. That year was, however, a marked 
exception to the general rule, and the fact of halibut being abundant at that point is all the more 
remarkable, inasmuch as when the schools have been broken up on other fishing grounds, or the fish 
forced to leave their favorite resorts during a portion of the year, they rarely return to stay in such 
plentifulness. From early in June until late in October of 1882 the species occurred in almost 
unprecedented numbers off the southern part of Green Bank in depths ranging from 100 to 250 
fathoms; whereas, in former years, even when halibut have been most plentiful, a dearth has 
usually occurred on all the fishing grounds in the latter part of September and in October and 
November. During those months, however, of 1882, wonderful catches were made, several fares 
of from 40,000 to 75,000 pounds having arrived at Gloucester. The following are a few of the many 
instances of large captures made on Green Bank during that season. ()ne of the first fares to 
arrive from that locality—possibly the first—was brought in by the schooner Isaac A. Chapman, 
