America II Fisheries Society. 83 



occur several times a year. 'l~hc water of these lakes becomes 

 very wami, yet there is sufficient depth to prevent bad results, 

 and here the carp tlirive, and from tliesc lakes they are taken for 

 market. The catches are so great as to savor strongly of the 

 traditional "fish story," 25,000 pounds at a haul being not at all 

 infrequent, and some catches have been made that would sound 

 almost fabulous. I append herewith a statement or report of the 

 Illinois River Fishermen's Association, which will give some idea 

 of the financial value of this product to the towns along that river, 

 and when it is considered that very many of the inhabitants of 

 these towns depend upon the fishing industry for a living, the 

 benefit of this replenishment of these almost depleted waters may 

 be understood and appreciated. 



Peoria, for instance, ships about two carloads of carp daily 

 during the height of the season. They are packed in boxes hold- 

 ing 150 pounds net of fish. The fish are packed in ice and then 

 placed in refrigerator cars, and not infrequently the fish still show 

 signs of life on their arrival in New York, to w'hich point most 

 of them are shipped. Unlike the butialo, which must be dressed 

 and packed in ice for shipment, the carp are shipped "in the 

 rough," that is, just as taken from the water, with absolutely no 

 loss or shrinkage from the seine to the dealer, its admirable keep- 

 ing qualities preserving its edible value perfectly. 



At several points on the Illinois River, holding, or live-pens, 

 have been prepared for storing the carp in until the market or the 

 dealer is ready for them. Notable among these storage pens is 

 one owned by Mr. John Schulte. The lake in which it is ])uilt 

 is six miles long and averages one-half mile in width. Within 

 this lake he has built a large enclosure, and the fish taken during 

 the hot months are put into it and kept until the market is right, 

 when they are taken out and packed for shipment. Mr. Schultc 

 permits me to give one instance showing the results, financially, 

 of a catch made by himself. The owner of a mill-pond wished to 

 have the carp taken out of it, and gave Mr. Schultc the privilege 

 of taking them. Mr. Schulte showed me a check for $1,080.35 

 as the net result of the carload he took from that pond. 



