FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS OF THE STEAMER ALBATROSS. 
161 
wrecked. The tangles were then used successively in depths of 27 hnd 40 fathoms, 
with good results^ A trawl line, baited with salt salmon and red rock fish, was set for 
-three hours in about the same position on rocky bottom, depth 40 fathoms, the catch 
consisting of 4 halibut, 2 sharks, 4 red rockfish, and 2 starfishes. The average weight 
of the halibut was 47| pounds; three were females and one was a male; they were 
all white. It is said that gray halibut are seldom found in these waters. 
On September 25 work was continued in nearly the same locality as on the previous 
day. The beam trawl was cast at station No. 2876, 2 or 3 miles northeasterly from 
stations 2873 to 2875, and the trawl line, baited with salmon, red rockfish, and fresh 
halibut, was set at the same time. The depth was 59 fathoms, and the bottom con- 
sisted of black sand and mud. The beam trawl dragged but a few yards, when it 
caught on a rocky patch, parted the bridle stops, and came up tail first. It was, how- 
ever, a successful haul, and many specimens were found in the net. The tangles were 
subsequently hauled over the same ground (station 2877) with good results, giving 
evidence of the richness of the bottom. The towing net, which was frequently used 
in this region, however, gave very little evidence of surface life. The halibut trawl 
remained on the bottom three hours, and the catch consisted of 2 halibut, 1 red rock- 
fish, and 9 dogfish, the average weight of the halibut being 55 pounds. 
On the afternoon of September 25 the trawl line was set and the dredge lowered 
in 66 fathoms, gravel and pebbles (station 2878), S. 48° W., 16 miles from Cape Beale 
light-house, on the southern side of the entrance to Barclay Sound, Yancouver Island. 
The contents of the dredge, consisting for the most part of small mollusks, did not 
bear evidence of a rich bottom. The same bait was used upon the trawl line as in 
the previous trial, and the capture after two hours’ time consisted of 2 black-cod, 15 
dogfish, 2 common sharks, and 2 ground sharks. Only a small quantity of surface 
organisms was taken in the tow nets. 
Early on the following day two dredge hauls were made at stations 2879 and 2880, 
27 miles N. 79° W. from Cape Beale, in 34 fathoms, rocky bottom, with about the 
same results as at station 2878, the bottom not being rich so far as the contents of the 
dredge indicated. A trial with the halibut trawl in the same locality, lasting about 
three hours, afforded 1 halibut weighing 25 pounds, 2 sharks, and 3 dogfish. 
At station 2881, in the same neighborhood, but much nearer the coast, Cape Beale 
bearing S. 26° E., distant 26 miles,, the dredge was cast in 24 fathoms, on a rough 
bottom, with fine gray sand in places. The results were not favorable to good fishing. 
The trawl line set in the same position took 1 halibut weighing 15 pounds, 5 dogfish, 
1 shark, and 1 skete. The trawl, when it came up, was covered with 11 slime,” which was 
contrary to expectations, as the dredging which preceded it indicated clean bottom. 
September 27 and 28 were spent in Barclay Sound, and the following day a skate 
of halibut trawl was set in 60 fathoms of water, sandy and rocky bottom, 22 miles S. 
14° E. from Cape Beale. The trawl was kept down about two hours, with the result 
of capturing 16 dogfish, 1 beshowe or black-cod, 1 cultus-cod, and 3 small halibut. 
This spot would probably be a good one for halibut earlier in the season, before the 
dogfish set in, and is convenient to the Straits of Fuca. It requires examination in 
the spring or winter to determine its merits. 
On June 14, 1889, the trawl line was set on Flattery Bank, in a depth of 31 fath- 
oms, Cape Flattery bearing E. by S. J S. and Cape Beale NW. by W. The bottom 
consisted of gravel, broken shells, and rocks. The tide was running ebb, but not 
F. c. B., 1892—11 
