52 



FISH LAWS OF ILLINOIS. 



An act to encourage the propagation and cultivation and to secure the pro- 

 tection of fishes in all waters under the jurisdiction of the State of Illinois. 



Section 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in 

 the General Assembly: That no person or persons shall place or cause to be 

 placed or erected, any seine, weir, net, fish dam, or other obstruction in or 

 across any of the rivers, creeks, ponds, streams, lakes, sloughs, bayous or 

 other water or water courses within the jurisdiction of this State, in such a 

 manner as will obstruct the free passage of fish up and down and through 

 such water or water courses, and it shall be unlawful for any person to catch 

 or take fish, except minnows for bait, with any device or means other than a 

 hook and a line, witnin one- half mile of any dam constructed across any of 

 the rivers or creeks or other water courses within the jurisdiction of this State. 



That it shall be unlawful for any person or persons, at any time, to catch 

 or kill any fish in any of the rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes, sloughs, bayous or 

 other water courses within the jurisdiction of this State, by the use of lime, 

 spear, acid, medical or chemical compound or explosives. 



That it shall be unlawful for any person to catch or kill any fish in or upon 

 any of the lakes or rivers within the jurisdiction of this State with any device 

 or means when such waters are covered with ice. 



That it shall be unlawful for any person to catch or kill or attempt to catch 

 or kill or attempt t© catch or kill any fish with any trammel net, seine or 

 other devices and as a seine in or upon any of the rivers, creeks, streams, 

 ponds, lakes, sloughs, bayous or other water courses within the jurisdiction of 

 this State. Nor shall the meshjes of any weir, seine, basket or trap of any net 

 or seine used for catching fish, except for catching minnows for bait, be less 

 than two inches square: Provided, however, that seining shall be lawful and 

 allowed between the first day of July in each year, and the loth day of April 

 in the following year, with seines, the meshes of which shall not be less than 

 two inches square, in such rivers or streams as are used for navigation 

 within the jurisdiction of this State, and also in the navigable bays or lakes 

 connected with such navigable streams withiu the jurisdiction of this State, 

 and not extending beyond the overflowed bottoms of such rivers or streams: 

 Provided, also, that it shall be lawful for the fish commissioners or persons 

 authorized by them to take fish in any way at any time and in any such 

 places as they deem best for the purpose of propagation, distribution or 

 destroying of objectionable fish. 



It shall be unlawful for any person to buy, sell or have in possession any 

 fish at any time which shall have been caught, taken or killed contrary to the 

 provisions of this act, and any person so offending shall be guilty of a misde- 

 meanor and fined as provided in this act. 



I 2. Not to obstruct passage op fish. J That it shall be the duty of 

 any person or persons who now own or control, or hereafter may erect or 

 control any dam or other obstruction across auj'of the rivers, creeks, streams, 

 bayous or other water courses wholly within or running through this State, in 

 such manner as shall obstruct the free passage of fish up and down or 

 through such water or water courses, to place or cause to be erected in or in 

 connection with such dam or dams, durable and efficient fish-ways, so that the 



