Bartlctt. — Decrease of Coarse Fish 197 



farms. With one accord they were equally agreed that they 

 could not see their way clear to maintain preserves for the 

 benefit of the public, and as a result levees are going in wher- 

 ever it is possible to establish them. As an example of the 

 conditions regarding ownership of fishing privileges, one 

 might cite the case of the company, composed of men from 

 Indianapolis, Ind., who bought Thompson, Grassy and Seib 

 Lakes above Havana, 111. The property covers an area 

 of thousands of acres in water and marshy lands, and was 

 bought for a hunting and fishing preserve, but at no time 

 have they been permitted to have control of their property, 

 for reasons given, until now they are ready to quit, and the 

 proposition to incorporate for a levee district is being con- 

 sidered. Spring Lake, seven miles long, with varying 

 width, below Pekin, 111., once one of the famous bass waters 

 of the state, also affording hundreds of acres of flat ponds 

 for the coarse fish, is now in a levee district. 



These are the existing conditions, but a remedy suggests 

 itself. There yet remain several thousand acres of water 

 available for the purpose of breeding grounds for the coarse 

 fishes. Thompson and allied lakes, mentioned before, might 

 be reserved for such purpose, if they could be properly con- 

 trolled and protected by government or state ownership, 

 either by lease or purchase. Such a reservation could be 

 open to the public for angling, under proper restrictions, and 

 closely protected' during spawning season. This would 

 assure a constant and increasing supply of young fish for 

 the river, and do much toward offsetting present conditions. 



In our state a movement is on foot to induce the stale to 

 take over a number of such places, and an arrangement has 

 been made to meet the owners, and endeavor to secure such 

 options as will make possible a proposition to the legislature 

 covering the desired measure. 



One of the greatest difficulties in the way, however, is 

 the attitude of the people in general toward the whole sub- 

 ject of fish propagation and distribution. Now when the 

 game question is considered, there has been no trouble in 



