offense. If the offense is repeated, then in every instance to prose- 

 cute. Fish, smaller than those authorized by law that can be offered 

 for sale, are not wanted in the markets, they are not in any sense de- 

 sirable and are known among fishermen as trash. The dealers, them- 

 selves, admit that there is no profit in handling them. The last ses- 

 sion of the Legislature enacted laws compelling shippers to label their 

 barrels or boxes, such label expressing kind of fish, from whom and 

 to whom. This has given us an opportunity of tracing always the 

 shipper of small fish. The clause mentioned makes both the ship- 

 per and transportation company liable. We wish to say here in this 

 connection that we have been greatly indebted to the transportation 

 companies for the very prompt way in which they have notified their 

 agents that packages of fish must not be delivered unless they are 

 properly labeled. The companies have uniformly given us all the aid 

 possible in enforcing this section of our law. The use of the tram- 

 mel net is still kept up in some localities. From the nature of its 

 use it can be readily handled in all the better classes of lakes along 

 the Illinois and Mississippi rivers; quickly set and murderous in its 

 use, a net of this description can easily be taken in the boat, it being 

 very light, and carried into the lake and used readily in the night, 

 then can be quickly removed and detection is impossible. Several 

 cases, in which we have prosecuted for the use of the trammel net, 

 have resulted in our defeat, the courts holding that the trammel net 

 was a seine and used as such. This, wdiile erroneous, has had its 

 effect in making such prosecution very difficult. The use of the 

 trammel net should be abolished entirely. In the enforcement of 

 the fish laws, as we find them, we have been badly handicapped. In 

 some counties conviction is almost impossible, even when cases have 

 been clearly made against the violator, all preponderance of evidence 

 usually being with the fisherman and seemingly easily supplied. The 

 great difficulty we have is in getting witnesses to testify to a state of 

 facts they are perfectly familiar with, because of their fear of some 

 retaliation and frequently the negative support of the State's attor- 

 neys, who, for reasons of their own, do not care to prosecute. 



This has been evidenced in a number of cases, where cases brought 

 and prosecuted by the State's attorney have resulted in a verdict for 

 the defendant. And similar cases in same localities, tried by an at- 

 torney engaged for the purpose, have resulted favorable to the prose- 

 cution. During the months when it is unlawful to use seines or nets 

 of any description, we have maintained complete control of the Illi- 

 nois river. This we have been able to do well the past two seasons 

 by the use of our steamer Reindeer, she being very swift, enabling us 

 to overcome long distances in the night, or a short space of time. 

 We have had to inject into our enforcement of the law such practical 

 methods as seemed to be to the best interest of the community as a 

 whole, protect the fish and at the same time not work any hardship 

 to the industry itself. The very large increase in the output of fish 

 upon the Illinois river, particularly in the last ten years, has demon- 

 strated what may be accomplished if we take the means within our 

 power to rigidly enforce the law when it was necessary to do so. The 

 commissioners should be empowered with the right to confiscate, at 



