45 



REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF ILLINOIS RIVER 



WARDENS. 



To Hon. Nat H. Cohen, President Illinois State Fish Commissioners, Urbana, Ilh 



Dear Sir: — I respectfully submit herewith my report as superintendent of 

 warden service on the Illiuois river. 



As master of Steamer Lotus, I have patrolled the Illinois river during the 

 spring and close seasons from LaSalle to Grafton. I have posted a copy of 

 the laws at every point and fishing outfit on the river. During the two years 

 I have personally interviewed almost every fisherman on the river and had as 

 thorough an understanding with them as possible. As instructed by you, I 

 have made the first trip each season over the river, warning everybody against 

 violations, and on the trip following removed without warning all nets m the 

 water that I considered a violation of the law. When nets were removed they 

 were as a rule, placed on the bank, care being used not to destroy property. 

 In some of the most flagrant instances 1 have taken up the nets and brought 

 them to headquarters, stored and advertised them with a view to prosecuting 

 owners when property was claimed. I have caused to be removed by our crew 

 during the seasons of 1897 and up to date in 1898, five hundred and sixty-four 

 nets, and ordered owners to take out hundreds more themselves. As instructed 

 by the Commission 1 have not interfered with the ordinary hook or fyke net, 

 when of proper size mesh and not placed so as to form a serious obstruction, 

 or rigged with long leads or wings. Wing nets have always been promptly 

 removed or destroved. In one instance I found a fence built of boards to 

 shut off sloughs, and in another stakes driven to hold boards up lengthwise 

 along the ledge at river's bank for almost a mile, to keep fish from coming 

 out. This was neat Gi-and Island. I removed the entire obstruction and have 

 a ease pending against the parties. 



I have found a great many vei'y serious obstructions in the large lakes. 

 During high water of 1898, when the water was over the entire bottoms, I 

 found, at what would have been the head of Woodyard Lake, a piece of web 

 600 yards in length which had forty- one nets attached. At another point I 

 found one piece 400 yards long with 32 nets attached. These were promptly 

 removed. The distance between points makes it almost impossible to do eft'ect- 

 ive service, as the poachers have a system of notification and will take ad- 

 vantage of our absence to slip out into the large lakes away from the river 

 and get their nets in for a few days. We should be able to cover greater dis- 

 tance in less time. 



The most trouble we have had has been at Stewart Lake, Jack Lake, An- 

 derson Lake, Flag and Thompson Lake, Meredosia Bay, Sni Ecarte, Mack- 

 inaw Lake, Sprig Lake and Lake De Pue. 



Many of the sloughs leading from these lakes are miles in lengths, and it is 

 frequently the case that with a view to evading the law, wings are so placed 

 as to leave out a few feet from one shore open, and then at some distance 

 above or below another wing is placed across the slough, reaching to within 

 a few feet of the opposite bank, and so along the slough for miles. These ob- 

 structions can not be seen from the river but are reached either by steamboat 

 or with small boats. Tht^y have been removed at once, as instructed by you. 



