BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION, VOLUME VIII, FOR 1888. 
1 -EXPLORATIONS OF THE FISHING GROUNDS OF ALASKA, WASHINGTON 
TERRITORY, AND OREGON, DURING 1888, BY THE U. S. FISH 
COMMISSION STEAMER ALBATROSS, LIEUT, COMDR. 
Z. L. TANNER, U. S. NAVY, COMMANDING/ 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
A. — Introduction 5 
1. Previons knowledge respecting the fishing grounds of the North Pacific Ocean 5 
2. Plans and narrative of the cruise 8 
3. Summary of results 10 
Alaska 10 
Hydrography of the Alaskan fishing grounds 11 
Results of dredgings and fishing trials on the Alaskan grounds 13 
Washington Territory and Oregon 15 
B. — Report of the explorations in Alaska 17 
4. Deep-sea soundings south of the Aleutian Islands 17 
5. Unalashka Island to Unimak Island 18 
Hydrographic work, dredgings, and trials for fish 18 
Unalashka Harbor ; directions for approaching ; natural history work ; fishery notes.. 19 
6. Notes on the cod fishery of Bering Sea 22 
7. Davidson Bank 23 
8. Sannakh Islands to the Shumagin Islands, including Sannakh Bank 25 
Reported dangers south of the Sannakh Islands 25 
Sannakh Bank 25 
Fishing grounds between Sannakh Bank and the Shumagin Islands 26 
Sandman Reefs; corrected positions 27 
Belkovsky Bay and vicinity ; abundance of cod; method of hunting sea otters 27 
9. Shumagin Islands 28 
Hydrographic work, dredgings, trials for fish, etc 28 
iThis first report upon the explorations of the steamer Albatross along the western coast of North 
America contains the earliest positive information that has been obtained respecting most of the 
ocean fishing grounds of that important region. Its publication, it is hoped, will tend to stimulate 
the fishing interests in the North Pacific Ocean, and, at the same time, give substantial evidence as 
to the relative values of the different grounds that have been studied. Future investigations will 
be directed toward completing the detailed examination of the same region, and toward extending 
the researches farther north into Bering Sea, and farther south along the coasts of Oregon and Cali- 
fornia. The report has been compiled from the reports of Lieut. Commander Z. L. Tanner, command- 
ing the steamer Albatross, and of Mr. Charles H. Townsend, naturalist, and Mr. A. B. Alexander, 
fishery expert of the same steamer, ac explained on page 17. The introduction was written by Mr. 
Richard Rathbun. Marshall McDonald, Commissioner. 
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