796 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



fish predominating. The latter weighed from 10 to 30 pounds. Black 

 bass, white bass, and pickerel were not common, only a few being taken. 

 These fish were all taken below the distillery and were very stupid. I 

 saw a man throw out a number of dog-fish and garpike by putting the 

 tines of his fork under them and giving a toss land them on the ice, 

 where they lay with scarcely a struggle. 



The next day I was at Blue Island, and there they were having a 

 very similar run, with the exception that the fish were much livelier 

 here than at Kiverdale. Although the same species were taken and in 

 about equal numbers as at the latter place, yet they could only be taken 

 as they tried to crowd up to the surface of the shallow water running 

 over the site of the old dam. This gave the fishermen an advantage, 

 and when thrown on to the ice the fish struggled and flapped about, 

 showing all their natural vigor. This run continued for several days at 

 both places, and fishermen who were there during the whole run assured 

 me that there must have been several tons taken from each place. In 

 the shallow water at the Blue Island dam when the fish were crowding 

 up in the largest numbers, the mass was so dense they were shovelled 

 out onto the ice. After the ice had thawed in the spring and the river 

 fallen several feet the effect of the waste from the distillery was much 

 more evident than before. While collecting birds along the river below 

 the distillery I found thousands of dead fish lying along tbe bank. In 

 some places they formed a layer several inches deep, and in others lay 

 scattered along the bank irregularly on each side of the river. The 

 banks were strown with dead fish for at least 5 miles below Kiverdale. 

 Above this place toward Blue Island an occasional fish was found, not 

 more than twenty or thirty in a mile. The fishermen on the river are 

 also of the opinion tbat the fish are killed by the refuse from the dis- 

 tillery. 



From a fisherman living just above the distillery at Kiverdale, I 

 have the following notes regarding the fish caught there in the last nine 

 years. The species mentioned are only the prominent ones which he 

 has taken ; probably many small species are taken that he does not 

 know or has no name for. 



Lota lacustris, eel pout; occasionally taken in winter. 



Haploidonotus grunniens, sheephead ; not over 50 pounds have been 

 taken in nine years. 



Micropterus palUdus, black bass ; taken irregularly at present, form 

 erly abundant. 



AmhlopUtes rupestris, rock bass ; taken in sparing numbers through- 

 out the year. 



Uupomotis aureus and Leponiispallidus, suU'&sh; very common through- 

 out the year. 



Perca americana, yellow perch ; abundant, from 100 to 300 pounds 

 taken daily. 



Stizostcthium vitreum, pike ; in the spring of 1875 quite a large run 



