FISHERIES, BY STATES. 



115 



apparatus of capture, for the Mississippi River, the Ohio 

 River, and the Lake Michigan districts, respectively. 

 The following table shows the distribution of the 

 value of the chief products for the fishery districts of 

 the state: 



1 Less than $100. 



The most important tributary of the Mississippi 

 River is the Illinois River. In 1894 the fishery 

 product of the Illinois River was about 3,000 tons, 

 valued at $162,000, and formed about one-half of 

 the yield of the Mississippi River district. In 1899 

 it formed about two-thirds, amounting to 7,000 tons, 

 valued at $382,000, and in 1908 it formed more than 

 seven-tenths, amounting to 23,000 tons, valued at 

 $860,000. The chief product of the Illinois River is 

 German carp. The carp from this river in 1908 

 formed nearly three-fourths of the carp product for 

 the state, and was valued at $412,000, which is nearly 

 as large as the combined value of all the other fishery 

 products of this river. 



The mussel products of the Illinois River were 

 valued at $139,000, or nearly 58 per cent of the value 

 of the mussel products of the Mississippi River dis- 

 trict, and nearly 40 per cent of the value of the mussel 

 products of the state. 



The fisheries of the Ohio River district have 

 increased to a considerable extent, as is shown by the 

 following comparative statement: 



Prior to 1908 no mussel product entered into the 

 total for this district. The extent of such products 



in 1908 accounts almost entirely for the large gains 

 shown for that year, as compared with the earlier 

 years. Carp, moreover, which in 1908 contributed 

 one-fourth of the value of the fish product, formed 

 only a small part of the product at each of the pre- 

 vious canvasses. In 1899 and in 1894 drum, buffalo 

 fish, and catfish were leading species. 



The increase in the products of the lake fisheries 

 since the last canvass has been relatively large, as is 

 shown in the following tabular statement: 



Products, by class of fisheries. — The distribution of 

 the product between the vessel fisheries and the shore 

 and boat fisheries by districts is shown in the following 

 tabular statement: 



FISHERY products: 1908. 



The catch of the shore and boat fisheries comprised 

 all but a small portion of the entire state product. 



The products, by species and apparatus of capture, 

 are given for the vessel fisheries in Table 5, on page 

 119, and for the shore and boat fisheries in Table 6, on 

 page 120. The former table also distributes the prod- 

 ucts between the two districts which had vessel fish- 

 eries — the Mississippi River and the Lake Michigan 

 districts. 



By deducting the products of the vessel fisheries of 

 the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan districts, as 

 given in Table 5, on page 119, from the corresponding 

 items for all fishery products of those districts, as 

 given in Tables 2 and 4, respectively, on pages 118 

 and 119, the specific products of the shore and 

 boat fisheries of each of these districts can be ascer- 

 tained. All of the products of the Ohio River district, 

 presented in Table 3, belong to the shore and boat 

 fisheries. 



