EEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS. 



To His Excellency, John P. Altgeld, Governoy^ : 



We beg leave to submit herewith our report as Board of State 

 Fish Commissioners for the two years ending September 30, 1894. 



We assumed our duties July 14, 1893, succeeding Mr, N. K. 

 Fairbarik, of Chicago; S. P. Barllett, of Quincy, and Major Geo. 

 Breuning, of Centralia. In the appendix will be found their re- 

 port from October 1, 1892, to July 1, 1893. 



When we entered upon the duties of our office we found the 

 Board responsible for an exhibit of live fish in the Illinois State 

 Building at the AVorld's Fair, and at once made the office in that 

 building our headquarters. We gave the matter individual and 

 personal attention, as far as possible, replacing the various species 

 of fishes used in the live fish display, as they were needed. At 

 the conclusion of the exposition, the fish were taken from the 

 ponds and sent ])y messengers to Fox river and planted, under the 

 supervision of Hon. O. D. Sickler, commissioner. 



As the work was new to the Board, and the interest an exten- 

 sive one, we availed ourselves of the provision of law authorizing 

 the appointment of a fish culturist, and arranged to have the work 

 contlucted on the same general lines as had been the policy of the 

 former Board. 



The steampr "Lotus" was at once placed in commission, and the 

 crew set to work cleaning out the ponds and sloughs along the 

 rivers, saving the fish that were left stranded by the receding 

 waters, the work being prosecuted as extensively as our appropria- 

 tion would permit. The fish reserved for distribution, such as 

 black bass, crappie, spotted cat-fish, war-mouth bass, etc., were 

 planted in various sections of the State, distribution being made 

 either by messenger or the cars of the U. S. Fish Commission, 

 which were placed at our disposal in the work. In the proper 

 place in this report will be found a list of plants made, with the 

 number and variety of fishes. 



In the spring of 1894 we placed the "Lotus" in commission on 

 the Illinois river, with a view to preventing, if possible, the usual 

 wholesale destruction of fish by means of unlawful appliances. 

 The work was an extensive one, and covering, as it did, hundreds 

 of miles of river and river frontage, it made it difficult in the ex- 

 treme to give it the attention it required. Our policy was to 



