162 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
strong, and a dense fog prevailed. The trawl was left down about three hours, at the 
end of which time the following fish were taken from the hooks : 8 halibut, aver- 
aging 35 pounds each; 10 red rockfish, averaging 10 pounds each ; 2 orange rockfish; 
1 sea trout; 1 cultus-cod, weighing 19 pounds; 1 skate, and 45 dogfish. The bottom 
was so rough that many of the hooks caught upon it while hauling, and toward the 
end the ground line parted, but none of the gear was lost. One small halibut and 
about a dozen dogfish were caught with hand lines from the small boats tending the 
trawl, and during the same time one halibut weighing 93 pounds and several red rock- 
fish were taken by the same means from the deck of the Albatross. A native canoe 
with four Indians, which came alongside during the day, contained 15 small halibut 
which had been captured with the primitive wooden hooks. 
Barclay Sound , Vancouver Island. — On September 26, 1888, the Albatross anchored 
in Barclay Sound, where she was detained by fog for two days, enabling the natural- 
ists to make some interesting observations upon the natural history of the region. A 
rich and diversified fauna was discovered, and many specimens were collected. There 
are not many beaches adapted to seining, but some were found on which a large 
variety of shore fishes was obtained. Salmon were seen darting about in every direc- 
tion. They are said to be very plentiful at the head waters of the sound, where they 
enter the creeks and inlets to spawn. A few large specimens were caught by trolling. 
A cod trawl, baited with halibut and salmon, was also set one evening in a depth of 
17 fathoms, and allowed to remain down over night. The next morning 28 dogfish 
and 1 red rockfish were found upon the hooks. 
Notes on the Halibut Fishery. — The following notes on the halibut fisheries located 
off the coast of Washington or tributary to its ports are such only as have been 
furnished through the medium of the Albatross, and are here given to illustrate in a 
practical manner the resources of the grounds. For further information on the same 
subject reference should be made to the Bulletin for 1888, pp. 62-64, and the Annual 
Beport for 1888, pp. 260-266. 
Until within a few years the halibut fisheries of Washington have been almost 
exclusively the property of the Indians resident upon certain portions of the coast. 
Beginning in 1888, however, strenuous efforts have been made to establish an 
extensive commercial fishery, the final outcome of which is still to be decided. 
The promoters of this enterprise have, unfortunately, encountered many obstacles in 
the matter of obtaining ice and of shipping their catch to market, which, tending to 
restrict their operations, has prevented a thorough testing of the grounds; and yet, 
within certain limits, good results have already been accomplished. 
The Indians of Neah Bay visit Flattery Bank daily during the halibut season, 
whenever the weather permits, and also fish on less important grounds closer at hand ; 
they bring in considerable quantities of halibut, cultus-cod, and red rockfish; herring, 
smelt, and squid, as well as halibut and red rockfish, are used as bait. 
The first vessel fishery appears to have been started in 1888 by two well-equipped 
schooners, the Mollie Adams and the Oscar and Hattie, which had recently arrived 
from Gloucester, Mass. After completing a successful sealing voyage in the spring 
of that year, the Mollie Adams made four trips in quick succession to Flattery Bank, 
securing, in all, 145,000 pounds of halibut, which were landed at Seattle. The stock 
amounted to $3,000, the crew receiving shares of $75 each. The expenses were high, 
however, $15 per ton having been paid for ice on the first trip, although the price was 
subsequently reduced to $8. During the same season the Oscar and Hattie obtained 
