CXX FISHES OF ILLINOIS 



about 80,000 persons — virtually equivalent to one meal of fish a 

 day for a quarter of a million people. It is encouraging to con- 

 clude, from a comparison of available statistics, that we have no 

 reason to believe that the general fishery product of our rivers is 

 now declining, either in value or amount. On the contrary, accord- 

 ing to reports of the State Fishermen's Association published from 

 1897 to 1901, the total value of the Illinois River product increased 

 by 60 per cent, during that interval, being $207,685 for 1897 and 

 $351,753 for 1901. The yield of carp increased in value 69 percent, 

 during this period; that of buffalo, 88 per cent. ; of black bass, 32 

 per cent.; of catfish and bullpouts, 41 per cent.; of crappie, 47 per 

 cent. ; of sunfish and yellow perch, 154 per cent. ; and that of striped 

 bass, 27 per cent., — the only important species then reported as di- 

 minishing being the sheepshead, or fresh-water drum, commonly 

 marketed as white perch, the yield of which declined 27£ per cent.* 



Comparative Statistics, Fisheries Illinois River, 1897 and 1901 

 computed from reports of the illinois fishermen's association 



1897 



10111 



Carp 



Buffalo 



Black bass 



Drum 



Catfish and bullpouts 



Spoonbill 



Sunfish and perch . . . . 



Striped bass 



< Crappie 



Dogfish 



99,059 

 48,139 

 3,434 

 20,452 

 26,283 



3.0S0 

 3,234 

 4,004 



167,266 



90,357 



4,532 



14,838 



36,933 



232 



7,830 



4.117 



5,880 



10,460 



2(17, f.85 



342,445 



♦Unpublished data of shipments from Illinois River points, recently furnished 

 me through the courtesy of Mr V II. Cohen, President of the Illinois State Fish 

 Commission, enable me to compare the total product of this river for 1906 and 

 1907 with that for 1899 as contained in the Report of the United States Commis- 

 sioner "l Fish and Fisheries for the year ending June 30, 1901. Against a total 

 product ot the Illinois River of approximately 14J million pounds in 1899 we have 

 for 1906 16,149,076 pounds, and for 1907 13,218,137 pounds, or an average for 

 the two latter years oi 1 1,683,606 pounds. — S. A. P. 



