American Fisheries Society 157 



materially lessened as the levee districts increase in number 

 and extent. The ditches drain off the water from thousands 

 of acres of land, and it is only a question of time until all 

 the fish furnished by nature will be needed to stock the lakes 

 and rivers. It is natural to presume that such large and 

 fertile tracts of land will not remain subject to overflow, 

 and with each new levee district the number of natural 

 breeding grounds is lessened. The situation presents possi- 

 bilities to which 1 should like to call attention, for while the 

 levees are draining the lands for practical farming purposes, 

 many of the lakes inside these districts are not drained and 

 do not go dry in any weather, and it seems as if it would be 

 a movement of practical economy for the state or govern- 

 ment to control such waters and utilize them for pond cul- 

 ture. There will always be thousands of acres of water 

 on the islands and along the water courses that could not be 

 protected by levees, on account of the expense necessary to 

 success, and these too could be utilized for breeding grounds. 



Years ago, when the country was new, but little import- 

 ance was given to the conservation of natural resources, 

 and the prodigal waste occasioned by the taking of fish 

 during the spawning season almost depleted the waters. 

 This has been checked to a great extent by fair protective 

 laws, and now the demand for the utilization of all waste 

 lands for cultivation must be met and many of the natural 

 breeding grounds will be destroyed. It may be far in the 

 future, but it is sure to come, and proper precautions should 

 be taken to protect and preserve the natural increase of our 

 food fishes before that day arrives. 



As an example of what is being done in Illinois in the 

 work of rescuing the fish, I will cite one catch made on 

 August 14, 1910. A crew of men working for the United 

 States Bureau of Fisheries took out of a flat pond near the 

 Lagrange Locks, on Illinois River, 150 adult black bass, 

 3,000 adult crappie. 3,000 adult bream, 750 adult carp, 750 

 adult buffalo. 5,000 adult catfish, and, in addition, a large 

 quantity of small fishes, 6 inches in length, such as shad. 



