﻿552 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  IOWA. 
  

  

  lowji 
  is 
  very 
  favorably 
  situated 
  with 
  respect 
  to 
  waters 
  containing 
  

   fish, 
  tlie 
  two 
  largest 
  rivers 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  forming 
  its 
  eastern 
  and 
  west- 
  

   ern 
  boundaries, 
  respectively. 
  Besides 
  these, 
  numerous 
  smaller 
  tribu 
  

   taries 
  traverse 
  the 
  State, 
  those 
  flowing 
  into 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  being 
  the 
  

   Upper 
  Iowa, 
  Turkey, 
  Maquoketa, 
  Wapsipinicon, 
  Iowa, 
  Cedar, 
  Skunk, 
  

   and 
  Des 
  Moines. 
  The 
  principal 
  affluents 
  of 
  the 
  Missouri 
  are 
  the 
  Big 
  

   Sioux, 
  Floyd, 
  Little 
  Sioux, 
  Boyer, 
  Mosquito, 
  I^ishnabotany, 
  Tarkio, 
  

   Nodaway, 
  Grand, 
  and 
  Chariton. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  within 
  the 
  State 
  

   are 
  now 
  comparatively 
  shallow, 
  and 
  have 
  dams, 
  very 
  few 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   supplied 
  with 
  proper 
  lishways. 
  In 
  spring 
  the 
  streams 
  are 
  swollen, 
  

   but 
  as 
  the 
  season 
  advances 
  the 
  water 
  becomes 
  very 
  low, 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  

   them 
  are 
  unnavigable 
  except 
  by 
  the 
  smallest 
  boats. 
  In 
  the 
  northern 
  

   and 
  western 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  there 
  are 
  small 
  lakes, 
  which 
  are 
  

   attractive 
  summer 
  resorts 
  and 
  contain 
  fish 
  in 
  some 
  abundance. 
  The 
  

   principal 
  ones 
  are 
  Spirit, 
  Okoboji, 
  Clear, 
  Storm, 
  Swan, 
  Iowa, 
  Silver, 
  

   Lost 
  Island, 
  Twin, 
  and 
  Wall. 
  Of 
  these, 
  Okoboji 
  is 
  the 
  deepest, 
  having 
  

   a 
  depth 
  of 
  over 
  100 
  feet. 
  

  

  With 
  respect 
  to 
  its 
  commercial 
  fisheries, 
  Iowa 
  occupies 
  a 
  prominent 
  

   place 
  among 
  the 
  interior 
  States, 
  although 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  industry 
  is 
  

   not 
  entirely 
  commensurate 
  with 
  the 
  number 
  and 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  rivers. 
  

   The 
  waters 
  are 
  well 
  supplied 
  with 
  fishes 
  in 
  great 
  variety 
  and 
  abundance, 
  

   those 
  of 
  most 
  importance 
  being 
  the 
  catflshes, 
  buffalo-fishes, 
  suckers, 
  

   sheepshead, 
  carp, 
  and 
  wall-ej-ed 
  pike 
  ; 
  besides 
  these 
  the 
  catch 
  of 
  paddle- 
  

   fish, 
  yellow 
  i)erch, 
  sturgeon, 
  black 
  bass, 
  crappy, 
  pickerel, 
  suuflsh, 
  white 
  

   bass, 
  and 
  yellow 
  bass 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate 
  quite 
  large. 
  The 
  industry 
  is 
  

   especially 
  important 
  on 
  the 
  Mississippi, 
  although 
  there 
  is 
  some 
  fishing 
  

   on 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  Big 
  Sioux, 
  Des 
  Moines, 
  and 
  Skunk 
  rivers, 
  and 
  on 
  

   Spirit 
  ami 
  Okoboji 
  lakes; 
  the 
  fishing 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  Eiver, 
  

   however, 
  are 
  very 
  much 
  more 
  extensive 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  

   waters 
  combined. 
  Seines, 
  fyke 
  nets, 
  and 
  set 
  lines 
  are 
  almost 
  equally 
  

   important 
  as 
  regards 
  the 
  quantity 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  products. 
  Catfish 
  

   are 
  the 
  most 
  valuable 
  species 
  taken, 
  although 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  buffalo-fish 
  

   is 
  somewhat 
  larger, 
  the 
  two 
  constituting 
  more 
  than 
  one-half 
  the 
  total 
  

   output 
  and 
  about 
  three-fifths 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  fisheries. 
  The 
  returns 
  

   show 
  about 
  150,000 
  pounds 
  of 
  mussel 
  shells 
  gathered 
  by 
  the 
  fishermen 
  

   and 
  sold 
  to 
  button 
  manufacturers. 
  

  

  Table 
  showing 
  the 
  numbei- 
  of 
  persons 
  employed 
  in 
  the 
  fisheries 
  of 
  lotoa 
  in 
  1894. 
  

  

  Waters. 
  

  

  Missi9si])pi 
  Eiver. 
  

  

  Skunk 
  Kivor 
  

  

  IX'8 
  Moines 
  Kiver. 
  

   Hif; 
  Sioux 
  lliver 
  .. 
  

   Mis.sdiiri 
  Iviver 
  ... 
  

  

  Lake 
  Okoboji 
  

  

  Spirit 
  Lako 
  

  

  Total 
  

  

  rislieries 
  in 
  which 
  employed. 
  

  

  Seine. 
  

  

  Tram- 
  

   imelnet, 
  

  

  246 
  

   12 
  

  

  288 
  

  

  108 
  

   10 
  

  

  Fyke 
  

   net. 
  

  

  221 
  

   15 
  

   19 
  

  

  20 
  

  

  Set 
  

   line. 
  

  

  404 
  

   17 
  

   26 
  

   26 
  

   15 
  

  

  I 
  Total, 
  

  

  1 
  exclusive 
  

  

  Hand 
  of 
  dupli- 
  

   line. 
  cation. 
  

  

  .... 
  680 
  

  

  .... 
  41 
  

  

  ...J 
  40 
  

  

  I 
  45 
  

  

  31 
  

  

  60 
  60 
  

  

  47 
  I 
  47 
  

  

  