IO 



waters but on the whole country for its supply, and needs constant 

 supervision of one of the wardens. 



The temptation to sell undersized fish is great and without daily in- 

 spection of the various fish markets, dealers are apt to undertake to 

 handle small fish. The wholesale dealers are discouraging the ship- 

 ment of small and undersized fish but when a shipment is received are 

 apt to try and unload it. 



Then there are a large number of fish sent into the State from out- 

 side where it is legal to ship smaller fish and such fish now and then 

 find a market with the small dealers. Nothing but constant super- 

 vision of a warden will prevent their sale. 



Out in the county then, four men are expected to cover the whole 

 State. The Illinois river is 250 miles in length and is the great source 

 of our State fish supply and it takes the attention of two of them at 

 least, leaving an immense territory to be looked after by two wardens. 



The wardens are paid a fixed salary of $75 per month and expenses, 

 and as a whole are a good body of men. The duties imposed on them 

 are unpleasant and at times dangerous, but we have only words of 

 praise for them. 



The present force of wardens is as follows : 



E. E. Caldwell, Havana, 111. 

 Geo. B. Klemman, Chicago, 111. 

 A. Sites, Homer, 111. 

 Geo. Rohweder, Geneseo, 111. 

 P. A. Whitman, Macomb, 111. 



In appendix will be found a report of the wardens. 



Use of Seine. 



Not many years ago the use of the seine in taking fish was general 

 and everything that could be reached was taken at any season and in 

 any way. The result was an almost entire depletion of the waters of 

 all kinds of fish. Buffalo, once the predominating market fish, became 

 almost extinct and all varieties suffered proportionally. Gradually the 

 season for the use of the seine was shortened by succeeding Legisla- 

 tures until fully half the season was exempt. Now, the fishermen 

 themselves are agitating the question of a further cutting off of the 

 seine in open season. This now begins July 1st. and during the heated 

 mouths of July and August the waste of fish is tremendous. Fish 

 taken with the seine are badly handled and with the market over sup- 

 plied, the absolute loss in dead fish thrown away will cover a large per- 

 centage of fish taken. Some of the results of this wholesale loss come 

 directly under the observation of your commissioners several times 

 during each year, and while we are powerless to control these condi- 

 tions as they have undoubtedly the legal right to take the fish, and to 

 throw them away if they died on their hands, yet we have repeatedly 

 remonstrated against the methods used. We have seen portions of 

 the surface of the Illinois river covered with dead fish, floating down 

 the stream, thrown out of live boxes or ponds where they had been 

 stored, killed bv the treatment in the seine or the crowded condition 



