SALT-HALIBUT FISHERY. 93 
favor. The water is not so deep, and fogs are not so frequent as on the Grand Bank. Good 
harbors are available in case of storms, which are not common. The climate is excellent, neither 
very cold nor very warm. The continual light permits fishing at all times of the day, and does 
away with much of the risk of the dories losing sight of the vessels. One great objection is the 
long distance from home, and lack of opportunities of hearing from the outside world. The fish, 
however, are plentiful, and, if the fishermen only had accurate charts of the banks of the west 
coast of Greenland, and of the harbors of Sukkertoppen and Holsteinborg, the long distance 
would be little thought of, as they would then be quite sure of a profitable catch. The harbor of 
Holsteinborg is usually open by the middle of May and perhaps fishing could be commenced by 
the 1st of June, but the ice, brought by the current down the east coast of Greenland, besides 
blocking up the more southern harbors, will probably render the passage north too dangerous 
before the middle of June. On this account and because of the change in the weather about the 
20th of August, the fishing here will have to be done in July and August. 
Besides the halibut, the Greenland cod is also caught on the trawls of the fishermen, but not in 
sufficient numbers to warrant their being salted. The proportion of cod to halibut is about 1 to 
15. The Eskimo fish for both, in the bays and harbors, and the cod may be more plentiful there, 
but they are smaller. 
The fine salmon of the coast might afford profitable fishing. This opinion is founded upon 
the quantity of these fish the natives catch with their rude appliances, and sell for $4 to $8 a 
barrel to the Danish trade agents. If the American fishermen were acquainted with the deep 
fiords, and should engage in this fishery with all the modern improvements for seine fishing, they 
would probably meet with great success. There is, however, this probable limit: the fish are 
caught mostly in June and July when they visit the mouths of the fresh-water creeks. After this 
they become scarce, but, if the fishermen do not succeed in securing a cargo of salmon, they have 
at least a month, after the salmon season is over, during which they can set their trawls for halibut. 
The average of 113,233 pounds of salt halibut for a trip does not represent fully what the fishery 
may become in the future; for several of the trips were made the conclusion of cod-fishing trips 
to the Grand Bank, and the vessels were already partly filled with cod, leaving not enough room 
for a full cargo of halibut. Thus the Mary E., in 1871, ’79,’80, and ’81, fished first on Flemish Cap, 
and from there went to Greenland. In 1871 she did not reach the Davis’ Strait fishing ground 
until August 20, and left off fishing August 28, but during these eight days she secured 30,000 
pounds of halibut. In 1879 the Herman Babson had on board 60,000 pounds of codfish, which she 
brought from the Grand Bank. If we omit from our calculations the Mary E., which is compar- 
atively a small vessel, the above average will be increased to nearly 121,000 pounds for each trip. 
Again, since the fishermen first visited Davis’ Strait, the methods of fishing in that region 
have altered considerably, principally because the first fishermen were unacquainted with the 
fishing banks, and were afraid to remain on them whenever the wind showed signs of increasing 
toa gale. Because of this, visits to the harbor were frequent, and much time was lost in regaining 
the banks after the blow was over. The custom now is to remain on the banks as much as possible, 
and to fish at every opportunity: had this method been employed from the start, the average catch 
would have been considerably larger. The success of the Bunker Hill, in 1881, proves this beyond 
a doubt. This vessel, though not arriving upon the banks until July 11, commenced fishing before 
going-into the harbor, and by persistent effort, in spite of unfavorable weather, secured the largest 
fare of any vessel since the beginning of the fishery. 
In the future, competition among the fishermen will become greater, knowledge of harbors 
and fishing banks more definite and widespread, improved methods of fishing will be introduced, 
