CONSERVATION AND PROPAGATION OF FISH IN THE 

 UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 



By Earl Simpson, 

 Winona, Minn. 



In treating with this subject I wish to confine myself to that 

 part of the Mississippi River extending from the vicinity of 

 Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, to St. Paul, Minnesota. As is 

 well known, this territory of the river abounds in numerous 

 small sloughs and lakes adjacent to the river, all of which are 

 subject to overflow in seasons of high water. As we usually have 

 periods of high water during the spawning season of the fish that 

 are habitat to the upper river, it results in the fish going to these 

 numerous lakes, sloughs and pockets adjacent thereto, and later on, 

 as the water recedes, they are left there in what we term "dead 

 pockets," and unless rescued and placed in the river they die. 



The fish abounding in the upper waters of the river, other than 

 the commercial fish, are the small-mouthed black bass, pike, 

 sunfish, catfish, crappy and pickerel. 



In 1914 the first systematic work in rescuing these fish was 

 commenced along the river, and in the beginning necessarily 

 was limited in extent, but the results derived even from the small 

 amount of work done clearly showed to those interested the 

 great possibilities that might be attained along this line. At 

 first the work was limited to the members of the Winona County 

 Fishermen's Association. Then the Latsch Board, who control 

 numerous bottom lands adjacent to Winona, became interested 

 in the work and, finally, the United States Bureau of Fisheries 

 Station at Homer, Minnesota, took up the work. During the 

 season of 1916 practically all the dead sloughs and pockets in the 

 territory extending from Trempealeau, Wis., to Minneiska, Minn., 

 about thirty miles in extent, were seined and the fish placed in 

 the main river, with the exception that a small per cent, were 

 retained by the Government and used in stocking the numerous 

 lakes and rivers in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is estimated 

 that at least five million game fish were saved through this work, 

 and the greatly improved condition of the fishing in the vicinity 



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