The experience not only of your commissioners but of nearly all of 

 the commissioners of other states gives evidence that while large 

 hauls of carji are made, bass are seldom caught in same locality. I 

 would quote in this connection from Mr. Joslin of Detroit, Mich., of 

 the Michigan commission: 



"The fish comfni.ssion have its consent to a bill passing which would allow 

 the seining of (Jerman carp along the St. Clair river and on the shores of 

 Lake St. Clair and in a portion of Detroit river which borders on the statje 

 of Michigan. 1 have taken occasion this summer to inquire of the carp 

 fishermen as to what thej' have found -and more particularly with regard to 

 what effect the German carp has had on the spawning beds of the small 

 mouth bass. Along the shores of Lake St. Clair are probably as many 

 spawning beds of the black bass as can be found anywhere. The gentleman 

 who has done the most of the seining for carp told me that there were so 

 few carp in and aroimd the black bass spawning beds that he did not think 

 it was worth while to run a seine there.'" 



This item, however, is taken up under the head of objectionable 

 fish and reasons given. 



The fish business of Chicago is perhaps second only to New York 

 in its output of tish. drawing as it does its supplies from every section 

 of the Union, and the great distributing point for the product of the 

 Great Lakes. While the business of itself is on a par with some of 

 the largest food producing industries of the State, it has need of 

 greater supervision of the commissioners than many others, in that 

 Chicago receives most of the fish taken in Illinois waters shipped to 

 market, excepting the carp, and with a hope of getting rid of the 

 small and objectionable fish taken unlawfully, the small dealers along 

 the river ship it to Chicago, when it is liable to find its way to the 

 retail dealers scattered about the city, unless the shipment should 

 find its way into the hands of some of these commission men who 

 favor the provisions of the law and voluntarily turn over the illegal 

 fish to a warden for disposal, which is, we are glad to state, fre- 

 quently done, and by that means, a repetition of siich shipment not 

 often made. 



We are pleased to note that most of the responsible fish dealers of 

 Chicago are as anxious to enforce the provisions of the law as are the 

 commissioners, recognizing the wholesale waste entailed by the use of 

 small and immature fish. 



In this connection we wish to call attention to the diminution of 

 output of the channel catfish, which for years was so abiindant on all 

 our rivers and which holds, perhaps, one of the first places as an 

 edible fish. This can be traced directly to the capture and sale of 

 small fish by use of baskets, now unlawful to use. It was not an 

 unusual sight to see a boatload consisting of a ton or more of these 

 fish in possession of the market fishermen, that would not weigh an 

 ounce each. As these fish increase with second year a pound or 

 more, it will be readily miderstood that the waste was a fearful one. 

 and the supply fast reduced. This has our special attention. 



Black bass are fully protected by the law which prohibits their 

 being taken except by hook and line, and the provisions rigorously 

 enforced by wardens as can be, and yet great numbers of small size 



