The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-09-30
HALlBUT FISHING.


The helEbzs Industry on this north.
xessern coast i in embryo. and al
though, al present. the advantages 10
Be derived from il In the future are
Ioss sixsi Of By the prosecution OF
more lucrative industries. the time Is
not far Distant vhen this important
subject Vii command public afsen-
ton. The following extract from the
Gloucester Mass Dolly Tsass o;
sept. -, i wei worth consideration
The receipts Of shree carloads
OF hatibut az tai. port from Sc
Seattle this season recalls the
time when our eodfshermen were
Obliged 20 haul up and change their
lerths On Middle bank and Georges "a
escaue the abundance Of these Ash,
which troubled then as the Goldfish IN
Messaehnsetts hay pesteresi the ships
Of BarthSsouaew tsosnold In l602-
There are many men living in
Gloucester to-day, who remembei
| when haIibrt we're q serious annoy
ance 10 the successful pursuit OF the
tcodfISheries. being OF no marketable
yalae, bat for the most part thrown
Iaway when caught.
| They have seen the rise and growth
OF haiibuf fishing as q business pur
suit, the gradual disappearance OF the
fsh from the home grounds, the dim
mutton OF the supply on the neal
hanks, and the pursuit OF them In
their more distant haunts. until Is wa:
found profitable 70 make voyages u
| the lev regions OF the far North TO Sc
n - ~
| They have seen the impetus given K
| the trade bv the modern facilities OF
TRANSFORMATION when packed in ice
and the new industry growing from
their cure by smoking. And now they
see them brought across the continent
for both purposes, from grounds which
give promise Of an unlimited supply
II was not until about 1856 that the
halibut fishery began TO be vigorously
proseeuted from Gloucester as a dis
finct branch of the fishing business
bat from that tine II had constant
growth for many years. In 1871 the
Gloucester fleet took upwards of thres
million pounds, which sold for oyel
| seventy Thousand dollars. With the
opening OF railroad communication
with Boston IL seemed expedieDt ant
practicable 10 make this the head
| quarters Of the halibut trade-a pro
| iect that in these later years has beer
successfully accomplishment with
that view halibut company was or
eanized in 1873, but the supply was sc
much in excess Of the demand that
the company was Obliged TO give VI
the business.
1T is only in recent years that an,
| fears have been felt of the failure o
the halibrd supply on the Grand and
neighhonng banks.
| sch Chester II. Lawrence took 1875 Co
lbs ON bank trip in 1915. In 1876 sci
Centennial brought In 10, 557 lbs from
three weeks bank trip, and the mex
year sch q. z. Whitman brought in |
fare OF 40, 600 lbs. the largest fare evel
landed. Sch Dayy Crockett took 103 90
lbs on her first trip in 1876, and anoth
er fare of 81. ss01bs the same year. Sci
Epes Tarr took 5i.5O2 lbs white ant
l2i,s42 lbs gray on three weeks tril
the same year. stocking S3i6l. and SCH
Carrie T.. Morton took ii4.540 lbs OF
one trip. Sch Centennial took up
wards OF a million pounds on her frs
ten bank trips in 1s77. And in on,
week in ISL the receipts at this por
aggregated So. 500 lbs
The small fares which have been tn,
rule the present year. and the fact tina
there was considerable falling off il
last years catch from the year before
leads many to take dark view of tn
future prospects ON the grounds which
have been iished 10 advantage in tn
years gone by But the catch of Iss
was some three million pounds large
than for the past ten or dozen years
and last years supply fully up TO tn
average. The present scarcity mas b
followed by full supply when tn
conditions, which are but imperfect,
understood. shall change
| And il Is gratifying TO know, tina
should the old grounds refuse to dis
count, we have an apparently mex
haustible supply in the Northwes
upon which to draw. and which i'm
proved railroad facilities viii undoubt
eddy land at our doors at REASONABLE
figures.