COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. 



To His Excellency, Hon. Chas. S. Deneen, Governor of Illinois: 



Dear Sir — We have the honor to submit herewith our report as 

 State Board of Fish Commissioners from Oct. i, 1904 to Sept. 30, 

 1906. 



The seasons that have passed since our last report Sept. 30, 1904, 

 have been fairly successful; that of 1905 was an ideal one for the dis- 

 tribution of fish, while that of 1906 was not nearly so good. The 

 conditions of a season in the stage of the water, and the length of 

 time of continued high water have very much to do with the success of 

 our work of collection. If the water comes up early and the adult 

 fish can come from the rivers into the lakes and sloughs and deposit 

 their spawn and return to the rivers, we are usually sure of a good 

 output, but if the water remains high, both adults and fry go back into 

 the river, and we are not apt to get good results in our collection. In 

 this event, however, the situation so far as local conditions are con- 

 cerned is probably better on the whole, as it now gets a longer supply, 

 but the distribution suffers a decrease as our collections from the over- 

 flows are naturally reduced and it is from this that the applicants for 

 fish are supplied. The demand for fish throughout the State is greatly 

 on the increase, and the number of applicants is far in excess of any- 

 thing we have ever had before. Much more attention is being paid 

 to private preserves than heretofore, and it will only be a short time 

 until all the bottom lands along the Illinois river with the lakes and 

 sloughs will be taken up and protected. This will involve much dis- 

 cussion as it will abridge the privileges in fishing for the market to a 

 great extent, and compel them to use the more proper for all com- 

 mercial fishing. A very large amount of money is now and will 

 be invested in such preserves. Expensive club houses are being put 

 up, and the owners of course will insist on exclusive privileges to the 

 land and water acquired by purchase and lease, and the result will be 

 for some time at least to produce a clash between those who have, for 

 years, used the inland lakes and sloughs for fishing purposes and those 

 who are trying to protect the waters from such invasions. Several 

 important suits have already been before the courts and fought hard 

 testing the question of the legal right of owners or lessees to keep 

 commercial fishermen out of such acquired possessions. The tendency 

 of most of the lakes which are flat and subject to high temperature 

 is to promote the growth of the softer fish, such as buffalo and carp, 

 and their increase is so great that unless they are limited in numbers 

 by frequent removal, an over production for the water is sure to re- 

 sult. Then, too, if fish are left undisturbed in these waters there is 

 danger of their total destruction in severe winters the water freezing 



