48 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES. 



were returned to the river. The season at La Crosse extended from 

 August 13 to November 8. This field inchides the territory extending 

 from Dresbach, Minn., to McDonald Dam, below Lynxville, Wis., 

 and seining crews worked from La Crosse, Genoa, Ferryville, and 

 Lynxville, Wis. The territory about Lynxville is one of the most 

 prolific and is capable of much greater development and productivity 

 whenever funds for the purpose are available. 



The crews with headquarters at North McGregor were engaged 

 from August 4 to November 10, operating from North McGregor 

 and Guttenberg. The collections amounted to 27,565,287 fish. This 

 field is also capable of further development, a promising territor}^ 

 existing between Clayton and Dubuque, Iowa. From Guttenberg 

 southward no rescue operations have ever been attempted, and reports 

 from the chief game and fish warden of the State of Iowa indicate 

 that this field contains opportunities for rescue work not excelled at 

 any point on the river. 



The station at Bellevue, Iowa, produced 39,549,952 rescued fishes 

 during the season, the work extending from August 11 to November 

 13. Two crews were employed, one operating from Bellevue, and 

 the other from a houseboat, covering the territory from Dubuque to 

 within 7 miles of Bellevue. Further possibilities for rescue work 

 exist in this vicinity. From Savanna, 111., and points farther south 

 seining crews could be profitably employed. 



The operations on the Ohio River, in the vicinity of Cairo, 111., 

 reached greater proportions than in any previous year. The number 

 of fish taken was 5,830,410, of which crappie and catfish predomi- 

 nated. There was a noticeable decrease in the number of black bass 

 this season, not only in the Cairo field, but at all other points, the 

 cause being attributed to the low stage of the river during the spawn- 

 ing season of the black bass in May and early June, the rise not oc- 

 curring until after the fish had spawned. 



There Avas a satisfactory increase in the number of fish taken in the 

 rescue work in the vicinity of Friars Point, Miss., under the super- 

 vision of the superintendent of the Tupelo station. The work in that 

 section began July 16 and continued to November 14, during which 

 time 847,328 fish, chiefly buffalo fish, catfish, and sunfish, were taken 

 by the seining crews. Of these, 40,630 were distributed to appli- 

 cants, while the remainder were returned to their native waters. 



The usual operations along the Illinois River, at Meredosia, 111., 

 were conducted, continuing from July 1 to December 4, and resulted 

 in the conservation of 1,340,427 fish. Similar work tried for the first 

 time at Clarksville and Canton, Mo., and other points of minor im- 

 portance, under the supervision of the director of the Fairport 

 (Iowa) station, produced 1,552,087 rescued fishes. 



It is to be noted that the average cost per thousand fish rescued in 

 1920 was less than 20 cents ; and while in certain fields where the out- 

 put was not large the cost was somewhat higher, more than 75 per 

 cent of the fish were rescued and returned to their native waters at a 

 cost of only 13 cents per thousand. 



A small percentage of basses, catfishes, and other species rescued 

 is used in supplying applicants, most of whom are in the States of the 

 Mississippi Valley. This diverted output serves a very useful purpose 

 but is not so great as to constitute a depletion of the Mississippi. In 



