8() Thirti/-si'r('ntlt Annual Meeting 



fish taken for shipment for market and the rolling or spawning 

 season was the harvest for those engaged in commercial fishing, 

 and the catches along the Illinois and Mississippi rivers were im- 

 mense, and the product sent to St. Louis and other outside mark- 

 ets hy steamboat usually packed in large sugar hogsheads and 

 barrels. I can remember of seeing shipments so large that in 

 spite of the perishable nature, only a part of the shipment could 

 l)e taken. A large proportion of these fish were lost as little or 

 no ice was used, the boats making the trip usually during the 

 night. The fish w^ere as a general thing consigned and account 

 sales very frequently showed so great a loss that freight charges 

 were not realized. 



While the slaughter, for such it was, was in progress, the 

 catch of bass, pike, pickerel and crappie was very large, immense 

 quantities shipped all through adjoining states to good market. 



In 1870 to 1880 the decrease in supply of buffalo was mark- 

 ed, in fact, had decreased to an extent that most of the larger 

 fish dealing companies had gone out of business. The bass were 

 notably scarce, pike and pickerel practically extinct and all game 

 varieties had greatly decreased. Attention had been called to the 

 matter by this time and in tlie early seventies legislative action 

 was asked for and some tentative laws passed covering spawning 

 seasons. The harm, however, had been accomplished and fish 

 were scarce. 



Then came the introduction of the carp. Carp increased, so 

 did the opportunity for "cuss words" and complaints without 

 number, that the carp were destroying and driving out game fish, 

 yet carp increased, so did the bass. Carp furnishes the great 

 Imlk of commercial fish and l)ass are more plentiful than ever 

 known on Illinois river. On the Mississippi river, owing to the 

 peculiar conditions of the overflows, not so general or complete, 

 the banks being as a rule higher, carp have not shown nearly so 

 rapid an increase and bass equally as scarce. 



It might be well to give a few of the facts gathered in the 

 years I have spent along these rivers, to show why I attribute the 

 increase of black bass to the increase of carp, or in other words, 

 increase of food supply. As stated under natural conditions, the 

 percentage of coarse to fine fish is largely in favor of the coars- 

 er varieties, and this has been a notable season along these lines. 



