DEPARTMENT O F C O MMERC E BUREAU O F FISHERIES HUGH M. SMITH, C ommi s s ion er PACIFIC COD FISHERIES By JOHN N. COBB AP P E NDIX IV TO THE RE P O RT O F THE U . S . C O MMISSIO NE R O F F ISHE RIE S F O R 1915 Burea u of Fisheries Document N0 . WASHINGTO N GO VE RNME NT P RINTING O F F IC E 1916 AD DITIO NAL C O P IE S O F THIS PUBLIC ATIO N MAY B E PRO C URE D F RO M THE SUPE RINTE NDE NT O F DO C UME NTS GO VE RNME NT PRINTING O F FIC E AS I T W H NG O N, D . 0 . AT 25 C E NTS P E R C O PY O N T E N T S C . Natural history of the cod Distrib ution Si z e . i r i n M g at o s . wnin Spa g . F ood O ther memb ers of the Gadidm Speci es mi scalled c od n d d Banks freque te by co . O ffsh ore b ank s in B eri ng Sea O ffshore b an ks in the North Pacific O cean h n Ins ore b a ks . h A i i h B anks on t e s at c s ore . f h Pa ifi c dfish r History o t e c c o e y . Hi story of Alaska shore- fishi ng stations n d Perso s employe . n d Vessels a b oats . Lay of the crew Season methods etc , , n h h Dressi g t e fis . Sh r - ati on m tho s o e st e d . i n h in d r Wastage t e ust y . Preparing c od for market f i Use o preserv at ves . f i d Market or Pac fic co . r i na s s f Pacific n d A n i c d C ompa at v e a ly e o a tla t co . Reddeni ng of c od Brown mold The i n dustry in 1915 n Perso s employed . n n I v estme t . Prod ucts . The fishi ng fleet i n 1915 The transporting fleet in 1915 Alaska sh ore stations operated in 1915 m f catch Sum ary o . f hi n d Summary o v essel fi s g ata . Detailed data of th e fi shing fleet 1863 to 1915 f h r — i n d Summary o s o e stat o ata . D i d o eration s of trans ortin fleet 1876 to 1915 eta le p p g , h fl Disasters to t e eet . PACIFIC COD FISHERIES. B O H O B B y J N N . C . NA URAL HIS O R O F THE C O D T T Y . an a a h as n Str ge to rel te , while the fishery for P cific cod bee prose cuted n a in the es n are n ot a s to th si ce e rly sixti , scie tists yet greed a e “ n B a a M proper n ame for the species . Accordi g to e n ost writers a n n a Ga dus ma cr oce ha lus h ve referred to it u der the me of p , which w as Tilesius n a a an bestowed by upo the K mch tk cod , the figure of t a w as a n a n a . Which sugges s th t it b sed upo deformed i dividu l Cope , in 187 3 n of n a a as a new , described the you g the commo Al sk cod G u u tu s ad s a r a s n o . G e specie , , from specime s collected by Pr f eorg a n n a a at n a a a . S n D vidso , of the U ited St tes Co st Survey , U l sk tei d achner in n z n V nn a , the Proceedi gs ( Sit u gsberichte) of the ie LXI 1 187 0 G cr o e h lu a a n a . ma c a s a a e Ac demy , , , , dopts the me p for l rg a n in a B a u S a . In cod t ke De C stries y ( mo th of Amur River) , iberi this ex ample the length of the he a d is cont ained ex actly three times i a n en th n a a n n the tot l le gth to the extreme d of e poi ted c ud l pedu cle . a n ma n in an a h The s me proportio y , however , be fou d y pl ce w ere a n Gadus morr hua ar e a n and c an a l rge umbers of t ke , it re dily be ” r n proven to be only a matte of i dividu al v a ri a tion . 18 0 B I 8 . n F n n a . a the summer of , the l te Prof Spe cer ird , the F nd F n n a n . a n U ited St ates Commissio er of ish isheries , se t Dr T rleto B an a a n a n an d H . e to Al sk for the purpose of i vestig ti g its fish and a n d on a fisheries , he m de the first exte de report the P cific cod ?) th a t h a d been m ade up to th at time As a result of his investiga A a a n n an and a s . tio s , he co siders the tl tic P cific cod of the s me species 0 ma r oce ha lus a nd in a a nd y nn a 0 . c n Jord n a E erm a c ll it p , j ustific tio “ of this state : In extern al respects we recogn iz e n o distinction be tween this species [referrin g to a specimen 20 in ches lon g taken in the Stra it of Ju an de F uc a by the Alba tr oss ] an d the common e astern ” D fish a a a . a cod , except th t the he d seems l rger They lso quote r . d “ ilbert as : has n n n an d Gr follows It bee freque tly poi ted out , is well O h od F s er of A a ska Ta r et H n Th T e C b on . B ea . e F s er es and F s er In us i h y l , y l i h i i h y d tr es of th e n te Sta t es t . I I s ec. 5 v ol . I . 1 98 1 99 . i U i d , p , , , p , b — l bid . , p . 1 98 2 2 6 . ° Nor t a nd M d m r Th e F s es of e A er c a b D . o a n a nd E erma n . B . W . S y n . i h h id l i , y J d t t t Na t na Mus um l et n n e S a es o e n 4 t m 25 41 2 5 42 . B u o. 7 . l i , U i d i l . , p , p , d I i 42 b d . , p. 2 5 . 6 PAC IF IC C O D F ISH E RIE S. n n n a a co fish h a k ow to fisherme , th t the P cific d s a smaller air bl a dder n n or sou d th an the Atl a tic cod . Pen din g an ex amin ation of this t n a re n ot n ow in a n a ques io , which we positio to m ke , we propose ” n z a as n to recog i e the P cific fish a disti ct species . Much ha s been said an d written of the differen ce in si z e between n t an and a A l a the sou d of the A l tic cod th t of the Pacific . a rge p rt t a a a a on ate n n of his is he rs y , b sed l rgely the st me ts of fisherme , few a a a n f of whom h ve ever m de y ef ort to s a ve them . The writer cut a n in 1913 n n a i out few sou ds , but , u fortu tely , these were lost n some w a n an a n an d a t u h h y duri g tr sport tio ; , l ho g it a d been some yea rs in h a d a n an A an s ce he cut sou d from tl tic cod , it seemed to him ha a n a n ot a s a n t t the P cific sou ds were lmost , if quite , l rge , but thi n er . o fi n f Some few yea rs ag the Al a ska C od sh Co .