14 



struction and entirely practical. The large dami? over the Illinois 

 river are not as well equipped in this particular as they should be, 

 but in ordinary seasons the necessity for them is not so great as in 

 the smaller streams. As when the spring rise is on, it is generally 

 speaking sufficient to cover dams entirely and allow the passage of 

 fish. When the spring opens the fish always start up streams to 

 locate spawning beds, their progress is interrupted by the obstruction, 

 and congregating there they continue their efforts to get over 

 frequently until they have passed the spawning period. This gives 

 an opportunity to take them in large quantities with the hook and 

 line, and in fact the catches are so great that they amount to simply 

 slaughter. ' At some of the dams more fish are destroyed during 

 the season by anglers, than are taken by the seine in the same locality 

 during the whole year. 



At a meeting of the Fish and Game Commissions and the Fish 

 and Game Associations of several states in Chicago, February I89y, 

 this matter was taken up and after thorough discussion a resolution 

 was passed asking the legislatures of the several states represented, 

 to enact a law that would prohibit the taking of fish with any device, 

 within 400 feet of a dam from April 14 to July 1 of the same year. 



President Cohen of our Board introduced the resolution and his 

 argument will explain itself. He said, "given a two and one half 

 pound bass that has 12,000 to 15,000 eggs in its ovaries. If this fish 

 is taken, as it can easily be, before it has a chance to spawn, and 

 that period may be under certain circumstances June 1st. there has 

 been destr:)yed every chance of that increase. If these are taken, as 

 they are by the hundreds, how long can our water sustain that 

 kind of a drain, only a short distance to almost total depletion. I, 

 personally, know of one instance in this state where one rod killed 

 127 small mouth black bass below a dam on Kankakee river, more 

 than one half being females and almost ripe. This is only a single 

 instance of wholesale slaughter of this kind that commonly occurs. 

 As fish are of a gregarious nature, at that time of the year particular- 

 ly, they congregate below dams, seeking in vain a passage to the level 

 above, and are at the mercy of the unsportsmanlike angler, who nev- 

 er leaves until the last of these poor starved ovaparous vertebrates 

 have been taken, then, homeward bound, he displays his catch amid 

 enthusiastic admirers who gloat over his mammoth slaughter.'" 



We advocate an amendment covering the period named prohibit- 

 ing taking and killing of fish within 400 feet of any dam. by any de- 

 vice, from April 1st to July 1st of the same year. 



We have as yet several dams in the State that are unprovided with 

 fishways. butall are in process of adjustment, some of them are in the 

 nature of unsettled estates, and somewhere ownership is in litigation. 

 But we hope to accomplish the purpose without rocoursi^ to litigation. 

 Plans and specifications have been prepareil and are always promptly 

 furnisheil by the commission. 



