THE GAR PROBLEM 



By E. E. Caldwell 



Of all the enemies of the fishes indigenous to the waters 

 of Illinois, the gar, Lcpisosteus ossens, is at the head of the 

 list, not only as a voracious consumer of other fishes, but 

 also as a destroyer of the food used by the game fishes. 



Forbes and Richardson, in their book, "The Fishes of 

 Illinois," have this to say of this greatest pest we have in 

 the waters of the state : 



"This voracious, active, and well-protected fish is a 

 notable winner in the long struggle for existence which its 

 species has maintained, but it is a wholly worthless and de- 

 structive nuisance in its relations to mankind. It is the 

 enemy of practically all the other fishes in our waters, and 

 so far as it eats anything but fishes, it subtracts from the 

 food supply of the more valuable kinds. It has, in fact, all 

 the vices and none of the virtues of a predacious fish. On 

 the other hand, it is preyed upon by nothing that swims, 

 and is so well adapted to the varied features and vicissitudes 

 of its habitat that it is proof against any but the most ex- 

 traordinary occurrences. 



"From its long cylindrical shape and its activity when 

 alarmed, it is not as likely to be held by the fishermen's nets 

 as most other fishes of its weight, and it consequently sur- 

 vives on our fishing grounds in very disproportionate num- 

 bers, and diminishes their average productiveness in n'> 

 small degree. 



"The gar is a voracious feeder and is especially destruc- 

 tive to minnows and the young of other fishes. The stom- 

 achs of specimens examined by Dr. Dean contained nothing 

 but small soft-rayed fishes, less than 3 14 inches long. 

 Eleven small minnows were taken from the stomach of one 

 male 24 inches long, and 16 from the stomach and pharynx 



