COMMERCIAL FISHERIES OF ILLINOIS RIVERS: 



A Statistical Report for 1950 



WILLIAM C. STARRETT AND SAM A. PARR* 



Many Illinoisans not residing near one of the large rivers of their state are 

 surprised to learn that commercial fishing is an important industry here. This in- 

 dustry is reported to have provided, in 1950, full-time employment for 253 Illinois 

 fishermen and part-time work for 442, table 1. These fishermen are calculated to 

 have caught 8,954,015 pounds of fish that, at average local undressed prices, were 

 valued at $ 682,260.85, tables 2 aad 3. They are estimated to have had $ 748,049.50 

 invested in tackle and equipment, table 4. 



Carp, buffalofishes, freshwater drum, and catfishes comprised the bulk of 

 the 1950 river catch; other species were of some commercial significance, table 5. 



Along some sections of the rivers the entire 1950 catch was sold locally. Most 

 of the catch not sold locally was shipped to markets in Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas 

 City, Missouri, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Nashville, and Indianapolis. 



The last previous complete survey of the state's river fisheries was made 

 relative to the 1931 catch (Fiedler 1933). The present report includes statistics of 



f 



y The writers, William C. Starrett. Associate Aquafic Biologist. Illinois 

 Natural History Survey, and Sam A. Parr. Superintendent . Division of Fisheries, 

 Illinois Department of Conservation, wish to acknowledge ,the splendid co-operation 

 given by Mr. Sam Carney, Jr., Chief, Division of Law Enforcement . Illinois Department 

 of Conservation, and by the conservation officers who. during January. February, and 

 March, ig^i . collected from Illinois professional commercial fishermen the statisti- 

 cal data presented in this report. They express their appreciation to Dr. George W. 

 Bennett, Aquatic Biologist of the Illinois Natural History Survey, and Mr. James S. 

 Ayars, Technical Editor of the Survey, for aid in the preparation of this report. 



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