9 



While the comiiiission is doing its best to promote and encourage 

 the production and protection of the coarse tish, and the business in- 

 terests connected with it. we are certainly making it possible to in- 

 crease, as it can be done in no other way, the game fishes. 



Every responsible fisherman is now as firm an advocate for a 

 proper close season as we are, and indeed some of the more vigorous 

 laws proposed emanate from market fishermen. 



We have frequently received severe criticism as to the practicabil- 

 ity of the introduction of the German carp. Perhajjswe dot not need 

 to go to any greater length in the discussion of the subject than to 

 ^ve here letters from the largest fish dealers on the Illinois river. 

 Th*?se letters will be found in their proper place in the appendix. 

 Carp are accused of driving out all of the game fish, and destroying 

 the young of all other fish. The best argument to refute that theory 

 will be a plain statement of the conditions that exist this season 

 (1898) . 



On Illinois river carp are more plentiful than ever, growing to im- 

 mense size and the increase in numbers wonderful. While there are 

 more black bass and croppie on the Illinois river this season than 

 for many years before, and we cite many instances in lakes along the 

 Illinois river where very large hauls of carp have been made, one in 

 particular aggregating ;30,000 pounds, and yet that lake has furnished 

 the best bass fishing on the Illinois river. This instance is not an 

 exception, but repeated many hundreds of times in greater or less 

 degree along the whole length of the river. Here it may be well to 

 note one very particular and unusual phase of the fish business this 

 season to show the relative supply: 



Carp at some times has brought a better price on the fish boats 

 than the best table fish vre have, viz: the black croppie or strawberry 

 bass. Croppie were so plentiful that the local demand would not 

 take them up. While carp, equally plentiful, found a quick market 

 at 1 cent per pound higher price. Most of the carp being bought, 

 however, for eastern markets. 



DISTRIBUTION- 



The methods of collecting are the same as used by the commission 

 heretofore, viz: gathering fish from the drying ponds along the river 

 bottoms, selecting such as are fit for distribution, and rescuing the 

 remainder to be put into the nearest deep water. 



Our distribution has been made mainly to public waters, although 

 we have supplied a large number of private applicants who have 

 made ponds or arranged lakes for their reception. Some of those ap- 

 plying for fish have expended large sums of money to prepare such 

 ponds. Our distributions have consisted largely of large mouth 

 black bass, black and white croppie. wall eyed pike, red-eye perch, 

 sua fish and channel cat fish. 



Distribution for the season of 1897 was numerically not so large as 

 1898, but in our opinion was much the better in point of value. 



