44 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
cod, having an average weight of 10 pounds each, and an average length of 28J 
inches. Walrus meat and cod were used as bait. Pair after pair of cod were hauled 
up in quick succession, and at the close of the trial they were biting as freely as in the 
beginning. This locality holds out exceptional inducements to fishing vessels, which, 
judging from the experience of t\\Q Albatross, might obtain large fares in an incredibly 
short space of time. Good harbors are within easy reach of the place, fine weather 
generally prevails excepting during the foggy spells of summer, and bait of many kinds 
may be taken on the grounds. 
About 33 miles southeast of Sitkalidak Island (hydrographic station No. 1372, 
latitude 50° 51' N., longitude 152° 50' W.) several halibut were taken with hand lines 
in a depth of 37 fathoms, sand and broken shells. 
A third trial for fish was made on the inner part of Albatross Bank at hydro- 
graphic station No. 1392 (latitude 57° 16' N., longitude 152° 22' W.), about 5 miles 
east of Dangerous Cape, Kadiak Island; depth, 39 fathoms; bottom, black sand and 
gravel. Nine hand lines, baited with salt salmon, were employed for fifty minutes, 
during which time sixty-nine cod and one halibut were taken. This was the best trial 
made on the Alaskan grounds, both as regards the rapidity with which the fish took 
the bait and their size and quality. The cod averaged 12 pounds each in weight, and 
30f inches in length. Their stomachs were well filled with food, and they were more 
thrifty looking than any previously taken. A photograph of the entire lot, as it lay 
upon the deck, was secured. The spot where these fish were captured is a favorite 
fishing ground of the inhabitants of St. Paul, Kadiak, and large fares could be obtained 
in a short time by trawl or hand-line fishing. 
At the next hydrographic station (No. 1393), 11 miles northeast of Dangerous Cape, 
25 fathoms, rocky bottom, a brief anchorage was made, and cod and halibut were 
taken in abundance with the hand lines. 
BeniarTcs . — There are many excellent harbors and convenient anchorages in close 
proximity to this bank, which make it one of the most desirable fishing grounds 
which has yet been surveyed on the Alaskan coast. It has been resorted to for some- 
years by a few fishermen who locate the rich spots which they have found by bearings 
from the land. 
14. PORTLOCK BANK. 
Hydrography . — This is the largest of the Alaskan banks that have been sur- 
veyed up to the present time. Its area inside of the 100 fathom line is about 6,800 
square miles, that of George’s Bank, the second largest bank on the eastern coast of 
North America, being about 8,4()0 square miles. Its outline, as indicated by the 100- 
fathom curve, is irregular. It extends northeastward from Kadiak Island to about 
longitude 148° 30' W., a distance of from 110 to 120 miles, and is widest at the 
western end, where its width equals that of Albatross Bank and Kadiak and Afognak 
Islands combined. Neither its northern nor southern boundary was positively deter- 
mined, however, in this region. Depths of 76 to 99 fathoms were found in the direc- 
tion of Kenai Peninsula, 97 fathoms occurring 16 miles south of Point Gore, the near- 
est point on the mainland to which soundings were made. 
Between longitudes 150° and 151° W. the bank abruptly narrows, and thence 
maintains a width of 35 to 45 miles to its eastern end. There is a broad indentation, 
