Fishing Grounds of the Gulf of Maine

Le Have Bank. - Situated eastward of Browns Bank and S. and E. of Roseway Bank. It extends from 42° 34' to 43° 26' north latitude a distance of 52 miles, and from 63° 50' to 65° 07' west longitude a distance of about 54 miles. The bank is nearly divided into two portions, of which the eastern (La Have Bank proper) extends N and S. 39 miles and the western portion nearly E. and W. about 35 miles. The total area of the bank is about 1,200 miles.

The bottom is largely coarse gravel. pebbles, and rock, with smaller areas of sand distributed here and there. Depths run from 40 to 50 fathoms. The general set of the currents is to the westward, but this is much influenced by the force and direction of the wind and is generally quite strong during easterly blows.

The principal fishing upon this bank in the past has been for cod and haddock: and while former reports, (1881) speak of this as having once been a favorite fishing ground for halibut and state that it was not at time of much importance in that fishery, the figures for this ground for the year 1923 show the halibut catch to have been third in volume and first in value of the species taken there. In fact, the catch of halibut here makes quite an imposing figure when the comparatively small size of the ground is considered.