REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 59 



QuiNCY Station, Illinois (S. P. Bartlett, Superintendent). 



Throughout the navigable portion of the Illinois River, or about 

 250 miles, the banks in most places are low and any considerable rise 

 of water overflows them, producing ponds and lakes varying in width 

 from a few feet to 8 or 10 miles, in which the native lishes find 

 desirable spawning-grounds. With the receding waters many of the 

 adult fish and millions of fry become landlocked. Here they grow 

 rapidl}' until, with the contraction of the water areas and the increas- 

 ing demands for food, the waters become overstocked and the fish die 

 in countless thousands from starvation or perish by the drying up 

 of the ponds during the season of summer drought, when the temper- 

 ature of both air and water become abnormally high. The work of 

 the Quincy Station consists in the collection of the fishes from these 

 overflowed ponds and lakes and the return of them to the Illinois 

 River, or their distribution to applicants throughout the countrv. 



At the beginning of the year there were large numbers of fish in the 

 ponds and the best of prospects for a good collection. The weather 

 was hot, causing the moss to grow rapidly, but the evaporation was 

 correspondingly great, so that little difiiculty was experienced in clean- 

 ing out the moss to facilitate the use of small-meshed seines. The 

 work of collecting continued good until July 22, when the water in 

 the lakes and ponds, which were 10 to 12 inches deep, showed a tem- 

 perature of 120 degrees, and the fish, large and small, came to the 

 surface dead. Up to this time operations had been confined mostly to 

 one lake, although the moss had been removed from others preparatory 

 to working them. After July 22 operations were necessarily confined 

 to the seining of the deeper ponds, but as the moss could not be 

 removed the results were not so satisfactor}^ as when collecting 

 from the shallower waters. Operations extended over the entire 

 navigable portion of the Illinois River. Great care was exercised in 

 handling the fish on account of the usual high temperature of the 

 water and the distance the fish must be carried from the I'iver to the 

 large towing live-boxes. 



It is necessary to observe caution in rounding a haul to land the 

 seine, because if the seine is hauled in rapidly to the shore the flounder- 

 ing of the larger fishes and the rolling of the moss will cause great 

 injury to the fingerlings. Where possible the seine is brought 

 together in deep water and a few feet at a time worked over, the fish 

 being carefull}^ placed in tubs and from them into the smaller live- 

 boxes until ready to haul over to the river, where they are placed in the 

 large live towing-cars. They are then taken to the pumping station, 

 placed in tubs until the temperature is gradually reduced, after which 

 they are put in the retaining-troughs and held until the following day. 

 Those showing signs of injury are removed and those selected for dis- 

 tribution are placed in the retaining-ponds. Early in the season it is 

 difiicult to induce the very small fry to take food, l)ut as they grow 



