only professional commercial fishermen residing in Illinois. By definition for this 

 report, a professional commercial fisherman is a per son purchasing tags or licenses 

 for five or more nets. 



The catch of such fishermen from the Illinois and Mississippi rivers amount- 

 ed to 93.9 per cent of the total 1950 commercial catch from the rivers within or bor- 

 dering Illinois (except the Ohio River proper). The catch from the Wabash River 

 ranked third, 1.9 per cent of the total catch. The remainder of the reported 1950 

 catch was from the Little Wabash River, Skillet Fork, Sangamon River, Kaskaskia 

 River, Rock River, Fox River and Chain O' Lakes, Big Muddy River, Cache River, 

 Lake Creek, Saline River, backwater areas of the Ohio River (Ohio River proper not 

 included in this report), Ennbarrass River, and Horseshoe Lake near Granite City, 

 Illinois, tables 2 and 3. 



1^ 



Commercial fisherman with hoop net and basket trap on the Mississippi River near 

 Hamilton, Illinois. 



-3- 



