17 



The Venuilioii river and its tributaries, North, Middle and Salt Forks, 

 are the principal streams in Vermilion county. Illegal fishing- has been 

 done by three dilTerent methods, viz: The s(iuare dip-net. formerly used 

 a great deal during spring freshets below the dam: but- this was not 

 practiced so much last spring, esi)ecially after I cauglU. and convicted a 

 man in Ai)ril. before my appointment as Fish Warden. The second 

 method was the seine or drag-net. There are upwards of twenty seines 

 owned in Vermilion county, and these nets are being used whenever the 

 owners sec a chance to do so without being caught, and the catching is 

 very ditticult. The convictions of the gang on November 28. for seining, 

 were made possible only because they fell out with each other, and one 

 man was anxious for revenge on the rest of the gang, and even then the 

 head of the gang and owner of the seine could not be convicted, because 

 he did not happen to go this particular time on which the other convic- 

 tions were had. The third method is the use of explosives, giant powder 

 or dynamite. Even the seiners and dip-netters hate the dynamiter, and I 

 think there have been no violations of that kind since June, 1890. We 

 had so many watching all over the county for dynamiters that I thing we 

 succeeded in frightening them. 



REPORT OF STATE FISH AVARDEN GEORGE ^V. AYERS, SPRING LAKE, ILL. 



Appointed April 25, 1890. Have notified all the fishermen in the district 

 to obey the laws. Have taken up and have now in my possession about 

 thirty-six nets, and have destroyed al:)out twenty-five more without re- 

 moving them. Have made two arrests and have an indictment pending 

 in another case. Have secured two convictions with fines assessed at S30 

 and costs in each case. Total fines paid $130.60 in county court of Taze- 

 well county. Have served one fishway notice on owner of dam at Fisher's 

 Mill, on the Mackinaw river. No flshways have been put in. There are 

 no fishways in any of the dams in Tazewell county. Violations are few 

 and far between since my appointment. The Mackinaw is the principal 

 stream in this county, and should have all dams on it (and there are 

 several) supplied with suitable flshways, and that before next spring, so 

 that the fish can get up to it to spawn. 



REPORT OF STATE FISH WARDEN THOS, PERRY, TERRE HAUTE, ILL. 



Was appointed June 6. 1890. Have notified eight persons to obey the 

 laws. Have taken up four nets. Have made no arrests and secured no 

 convictions. Have served no fishway notices. Have put in no flshways. 

 There are no dams in the county unprovided with fishways. The viola- 

 tions of fish laws are less frequent since my appointment, but there are 

 Still occasional instances, but we fail so far to obtain the necessary proof 

 for conviction. 



REPORT OF STATE FISH AVARDEN F. M. PARKER, CHARLESTON, ILL. 



Appointed July 15. 1890. Have notified twenty-six persons to obey the 

 law. Have taken up no nets. Have made four arrests and have secured 

 three convictions. Have served no tishway notices. One fishway has been 

 put in. viz.: at Newton, Jasper county. 111. There is one dam at Lawrence- 

 ville, Lawrence county, unprovided with a tishway. Violations of the 

 fish laws have been frequent in the past but have materially decreased 

 since my appointment. The streams are the Embarras river and its trib- 

 utaries. 



REPORT OF STATE FISH WARDEN CHAS. T. BRONSON, PULLMAN, IlL. 



Appointed August 30, 1890. Have notified fourteen persons to obey the 



law. Have taken up twenty-four nets. Have made three arrests and 



secured three convictions. Have served no fishway notices. No fishways 



put in. There are no dams unprovided with fishwavs in this countv. The 



—2 F. C. 



