‘ THE COD FISHERY OF ALASKA. 203 
very short time preceding dark, twenty-six cod, fine, plump, and healthy, averaging not less than 
12 pounds. 
Capt. D. ©. Bowen gave me the following information about the shore fish around Kodiak: 
First comes the “berring school,” consisting of medium-sized fish, continuing from May 1 to June 
or July; then the “lant school,” short, thick, well-meated, but not so large as the herring school, 
occurring June to July. After this comes the “capelin school,” of good-sized fish, about equal to 
Newfoundland cod, July to September. Last comes the “squid school,” averaging 12 pounds each. 
All of these are shore fish. The bank fish are always larger. 
Capt. J. C. Caton, who is well acquainted with the Shumagin fishery, says that in 1867 the 
Sanborn took 60,000 fish, averaging 24 pounds when cured and ready for the market. Now vessels 
will average 80 tons (60,000 fish) of 24 pounds each. (The market returns show the average to be a 
little more than 3 pounds to the fish at present.) Captain Caton remarked that none of the fish are 
so large as the George’s cod. Capt. Andrew Anderson informed me that when he was mate of the 
Wild Gazelle, in 1873, she took, on Seminoffsky Bank, 93,000 fish, averaging 23 pounds each when 
dressed. In 1874 she caught 97,000 cod, averaging 3 pounds each. Capt. H. R. Bowen, of Saint 
Paul, Kodiak, gives the average of the shore fish there as 6 pounds round, and says that the largest 
weigh 14 pounds. Mr. Thomas Devine, in charge of McCollam & Co.’s fishing-station at Pirate 
Cove, Shumagins, gives me as an average of the fish taken there something between 8 and 12 pounds 
_ round, the largest weighing 50 pounds. 
On the 19th of July I saw many fish brought into this station by dorymen. Oneof the men 
had 157 for his day’s catch, none of them being less than 26 inches in length, and many of them 
weighing not less than 30 pounds. The smallest weighed about 8, according to.my estimate. Prof. 
George Davidson, assistant to the U. S. Coast Survey, in his report on Alaska, states that in north 
latitude 53° 39’, west longitude 164° 10’, in 50 to 60 fathoms of water, many cod were caught from 
his vessel, the largest being 37 inches long; several reached 36 inches. The finest was 36 inches 
long, 23 inches girth, and weighed 27 pounds, was very fat, &c. In the New York Times of July 
15, 1879, is found the following extract from the report of Captain White, of the United States 
Revenue Marine Service, who was on duty in the Alaska waters in 1878: ‘“‘One day, when sounding 
south of Kodiak, wishing to lay in a stock of codfish, I ordered the sails set back, and prepared 
twenty lines, with four or five hooks to each line. Puget Sound clams were used as bait, and in 
two hours we caught 250 fish, weighing 30 to 40 pounds each.” 
From Dr. A. Kellogg, of San Francisco, surgeon and botanist of one of the Coast Survey 
expeditions, I have the following memorandum: “I copy from my diary verbatim the very brief 
note made on the spot relative to the cod caught on board the Lincoln, latitude 53° 30’ N., longi- 
tude 164° 30’ W.—cod 18 inches girth, 304 inches length, 144 pounds; 204 girth and 34 inches 
long, weight 20 to 22 pounds; 3 feet long and 23 inches girth, 27 pounds.” 
We were in the harbor of Iliuliuk, Unalashka, from the 27th of July to August 3, and from 
October 6 to 18, 1880. Between the first two dates we saw native fishermen daily bringing in cod 
for winter use. The fish were caught near the village, and were uniformly good-sized, many of 
them of 15 to 20 pounds in weight at least. Men were sent out from the vessel also to supply us 
with fresh fish. They generally fished on the ridge at the entrance to Port Levasheff, and never 
failed to secure a good supply of cod, averaging fully 12 pounds. In October there was no falling 
off in the supply, and the size was about the same. In deeper water, farther from the village, we 
took larger cod. 
I find in the notes of Prof. D. 8. Jordan the following comparison between the Okhotsk cod and 
that of the Shumagin Islands: “ Okhotsk cod are larger and more numerous than Shumagin cod, 
