‘, 
mercial fisherman of the State which will be embodied in this report, 
will show that over forty million pounds of carp and other varities, were 
shipped to eastern markets from different points on the Illinois river 
within the last two years, bringing into the State hundreds of thousands 
of dollars and employing many people. 
Another line of work which is rectiving considerable attention from 
the commission is the mussel-shell industry of the Illinois and other 
rivers of the State. In our streams there are about eighty varieties of 
clams whose shells are used in the manufacture of pearl buttons, and 
other pearl articles. Frequently these shells contain valuable pearls, 
so that the fisherman, sure of a good and profitable market for his shells 
has the additional chances of great gain through the discovery of these 
gems. In caring for this industry, which is assuming large proportions, 
the commission has the task of giving the fishermen all possible leeway 
in making a living, and at the same time of passing laws for the protec- 
tion of the mussels in order to prevent their complete extinction. The 
waters of the Upper Mississippi once abounding in clams are now com- 
pletely fished out. This must not be repeated in Illinois, if it can be 
prevented, and the commission is making every effort to deal with the 
problem in justice to the fisherman of today, and the generations of the 
future. 
Some idea of the amount of the shells taken from our waters can be 
gathered from the following report of the shipments from six towns 
along the Illinois river for the year ending October 1, 1908; Havana, 
189,000 lbs.; Matanzas, 1,230,370 lbs.; Bath, 1,873 000 lbs. ; Browning, 
1,387,000 lbs.; Beardstown, 12,415,000 Ibs. ; Meredosia, iL 933, 000 Ibs. ; 
a total of 19,027,370 lbs. The price received by the fisherman ranged 
from $3.50 to $15.00 per ton, an average of about $9. 00 per ton, which 
meant a total of $86,000.00 for the six Sa 
As illustrative of the profits-which may be made in the business under 
favorable circumstances the case of a fisherman at Bath may be cited. 
This man assisted by a boy fished for forty-eight days last summer. 
He caught shells tothe value of $272.00 and took from the mussels, 
pearls whieh he sold for $259.00 making a total of $531.00 for the-forty- 
eight days work, or more than $11.00 per day for-himself and the boy. 
In another part of this report the subject of mussels will be treated at 
some length, as we think the industry is of great importance to the people 
. of the State. 
As usual the enforcement of the fish laws has caused the commission 
-more trouble than any other department of the work. Because of the 
uneasiness of the fisherman regarding the constitutionality of the fish 
law that was placed on the statute last session of the Legislature re- 
garding the licensing of nets and seines, hundreds refused to take out 
licenses and a great many purchased them under protest. A test case 
was tried under Judge Higbee and he decided that the law was uncon- 
stitutional. The commission appealed the case to the Supreme Court 
and during this time all licenses to fish, were paid under protest. The 
Supreme Court held that only a part of the law was unconstitutional. 
