14.-THE FISHING GROUNDS OF BRISTOL BAY, ALASKA: A PRELIMINARY 
REPORT UPON THE INVESTIGATIONS OF THE U. S. FISH 
COMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS DURING 
THE SUMMER OF 1890. 
BY LIEUT. COMMANDER Z. L. TANNER, U. S. NAVY. 
[Accompanied by three charts, forming Plates cvni-cx.] 
INTRODUCTION. 
Bering Sea was designated as the working ground for the steamer Albatross dur- 
ing the summer of 1890, the object of the cruise being to develop its offshore fishing 
grounds. The exploration of the cod banks of Bristol Bay occupied most of the time, 
and this report is chiefly limited to a discussion of that region. We also made a par- 
tial reconnoissance of the coast lines as an indispensable preliminary to the fishery 
investigations. In prosecuting the work the region was thoroughly sounded, the 
currents, wind, and weather observed, and other information obtained of such direct 
value to the fisherman and mariner that it was deemed advisable to present the prin- 
cipal results in advance of the regular report. All the bearings given are magnetic, 
and the depths are expressed in fathoms. Longitudes depend upon Dali’s astronom- 
ical station, Iliuliuk Harbor (point opposite the wharf), being in longitude 166° 31' 
44.2" W. 
Bristol Bay may be said to include all that part of Bering Sea lying east of a line 
drawn from the Northwest Gape of Unimak Island to the Kuskokwim Eiver. The 
Island of Unimak and the Alaska Peninsula bound it on the south and east, and sep- 
arate it from the Pacific Ocean. The Naknek Eiver is at the head of deep-water 
navigation, while the bay itself terminates in the Kvichak Eiver, a few miles to the 
northward. The region about the Nushagak Eiver, Kulukak Bay, and the Kuskokwim 
forms its northwest boundary. 
The shore lines are usually low, and without distinctive features, but high moun- 
tain ranges and volcanic cones extend along the central jiarts of Unimak and tbe 
Alaska Peninsula. These rugged snow-covered mountains and lofty peaks would 
serve as unmistakable landmarks were they not obscured by the almost constant fogs 
which prevail in that region during the summer months. In fact, they were so seldom 
visible during the season of 1890 that the officers of the Albatross made no pretense 
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