/ 
~ — 
43 
During the last yearywe utilized a great many of the deputy war- 
dens in rescuing fish from overflowed districts, A total of ten million 
carp, buffalo, sunfish, bass, crappie and eee frogs were rescued 
from the McCee Levee District and taken by barge to different points 
along the Illinois River between Meredosia and Peoria. From this 
same district two carloads were placed in the Hlinois River at Beards- 
town, two carloads at Havana, one carload at Peoria, and one carload at 
Pekin. 
The hatchery, located at Havana, was this year used as a holding 
station for young fish which the men rescued from small ponds nearby 
and distributed to different points in the State, using the fish car 
“Thnois” which was built for that purpose. This car was in operation 
until the hot weather, compelled us.to stop work. Thewoerk-of* chstri- 
butier-wrlt-begin again about the middle of September. | 
Within a radius of fifteen or tw enty miles of Havana we have the 
best hook and line fishing of any place in the State, especially so for 
black bass. It is nothing uncommon for a man to catch from 25 to 
100 head in a morning or evening’s fishing. Some of the fish are very 
4 large weighing as much as (Our to 10ur ana one-half pounds, although 
: a 
“the-most “of them weigh from one pound to two and. one-half pounds, 
Commercial fishing alone the Illinois River is decreasing slowly 
each year as the spawning and breeding grounds of carp and buffalo, 
which are the principal commercial fish, are being rapidly destroyed by 
ye formation of the different levee districts. , , 
“There are quite-a few clear water lakes which maintain our sport-~ 
ing fish such as the black bass, sunfish, crappie and ring perch. These 
seem to be on the increase but these will disappear entirely unless sein- 
ing is prohibited and the fishing season shortened and leveeing stopped. 
Reports from different sources indicate that—practically” all fur> 
/ bearing animals, game birds and song birds are more plentiful this year, 
/ 
‘ 
\ 
than in years previous. This increase is due to the ethicient enforce 
\nent of the State law protecting wild life. 4 
ot tn-this=hstrret- “and. bills nS be intro- 
duced in the, next § session of the, Legislature asking for an appropria- 
tion of ars to /use/in purchasing approximately thirty 
thousand acres of ened land to be used as a public fish and game 
preserve. Unless a bill of this kind is passed by the next Legislature 
and money appropriated for this use it will be only a comparatively 
short time until all fishing in the Illinois River as well as all wild 
animal life will be extinct ane the land that they formerly inhabited will 
be fields of grain and the sportsmen of the State will have lost one of 
their finest fields for recreation. , 
nes 
_— During the past year~68 as were made in this district er 
$750 in fines were collected. Six of the cases were dismissed. A oreat 
many trammel nets and hoop nets, that were used illegally, were con- 
fiscated. 
The deputy wardens of this district and the territory patrolled by 
each is as follows: 
J. W. Barnes, Pekin, looks after the markets and patrols Tazewell Sout? 
art of Woodford County. 
