144 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



not been coinpletcd, and was, therefore, uot in operatiou at tlie time of 

 Prof. Meek's >isit.* 



lOAVA. 



Prof. S. E. Meek, of Coe College, Iowa, began in tlie suniiuer of 1889 

 a careful study of tlie fislics of Iowa, wliicli Avas coiitiiiiu'd, with some 

 intermissions, until into June, 1801. During this period he examined 

 all the rivers in the State tributary to both the Mississippi and the 

 Missouri, and also many of the smaller streams which empty into the 

 former, as well as the principal lakes. Large (collections of tishes were 

 made, and upon them and his field observations Prof. Meek has based 

 a very important report,! in which the fishes are classified in accord- 

 ance with each river basin. 



Iowa is situated between the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. 

 Its surface is com])aratively level, rising gradually toward the north 

 and west. Many streams traverse it, the greater number and the 

 larger ones flowing southeasterly into the Mississippi, the remainder 

 southwesterly into the Missouri, the affluents of the former draining 

 more than two-thirds of the entire area of the State. The vast agri- 

 cultural industry for which the State is so conspicuous has apparently 

 had much to do with changing the character of many of these streams, 

 causing their deterioration and at the same time a decrease in the 

 abundance of the better food-fishes. This is said to have been caused 

 in large part by the breaking up of the original stiff" sod of the i^rairies, 

 which tended to prevent the rapid flowing of the waters after heavy 

 rains toward the river channels, but ditching and underdraining have 

 also been instrumental in this respect. Eivers which formerly had 

 well defined, deep, and narrow channels have widened out and become 

 more shallow, overflowing their banks in the rainy season and losing 

 most of their water during the succeeding months. The soil, loosened 

 constantly for farming purposes, is also readily transx)orted by the rain 

 to fill the streams with sediment, which has caused the rapid disap- 

 pearance of the trout. 



The streams of southwestern Iowa have mostly muddy bottoms, and 

 comparatively few fishes, but elsewhere the currents are generally 

 stronger, the bottom consists chiefly of sand, gravel, and rocks, and 

 fishes are relatively abundant both as to species and individuals. There 

 are very many dams throughout the State, few, if any, of which are 

 provided with fishways, thus greatly interfering with the si)awning 

 i nstincts of many species. There are a number of large and fine springs 



*Rcport of oxitlor:iti()ii8 made in Missomi and Arkansas duriug 1889, with an ac- 

 count of the fishes observed in each of the river basins examined. I?y Seth Eugene 

 Meek. Bull, U. S. Fish Comni., ix, for 1889, pi>. 113-141, plate xui. 



tA report np(m the fishes of Iowa, based upon observations and collections made 

 during the years 1889, 1890, and 1891. By Seth Eugene Meek. Bull. U. S. Fish 

 Comm., X, 1890, pp, 217-248. 



