Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-11-28
Transporting Of FISH
Large Number Placed In the
Mississippi River Along
Iowa Border
FISHING INDUSTRY IN IOWA
FISHING INDUSTRY IN IOWA

Large Number Of SEEMING Permits Is
sued - Work Of State Game and
Fish Warden = Prairie Chicken is
Fast Becoming Extince in Iowa -
Violation Of the Game Laws.
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Nov. 2S.-More than two
million and half young fish have been
placed in the Mississippi river along
the Iowa border the past two years by
the United States government. OF
these million were croppies and an
other million sunfish, while there were
400, 900 buffalo and the rest were pike,
catfish. bass, pickerel, perch and carp.
This Is part of the work that is being
done by the United States and the state
of Iowa to make fishing good along the
big river. The United States main
tatns splendid fish hatchery at Man
| tiSStGIt ekHd lliG ~. ~
Johnson, has placed the fish in the
Mississippi river and its tributaries on
request from George A. LINCOLN, state
fish and game warden. Another fish
hatchery is now being built at Nc
Gregor that will be larger and more
comnioeious than the Hatchery at
Manchester, and the chief work done
there will be for the present the taking
of small fish from the bayous Of the
Mississippi to be sent to the interior
Of the state. This is the work that Is
being done by the state from Its sta
tion at Sabula. From Sabula there
was sent to the rivers and lakes of the
interior Of the state during the fall of
1901, fifteen carloads of fish and in 1902
nine carloads, about $4,000 in each car.
More would have been selned In 1902
had there been any funds for that pur-
pose. but failure to- secure an appro-
priation from inattention on the part
of the warden made 1t necessary for
the work to stop For the same reason
no work is now being done. The state
executive council made special appro-
priation to help out some of the work
hut the last bin OF the biennial period
that for JuEe last. was not paid, and
all expenses since will come up as .
matter for deficiency appropriation
at the opening of the next legislature
Mr. Lincoln, state game and fish war
den in his biennial report states that
while the rivers of the state have re-
ceived many fish from their tributary
rivers below, during the high waters,
the great lakes have not been so for
tunate, having no inlets from the wat
ers that contain fish, and must depends
on propagation for their supply until
funds are provided for this work by
the state.
Warden Lincoln. in his biennial re-
port, makes 1t plain that the trouble
with the Ash Industry in Iowa the past
two seasons has been too much water.
AS the result of the overfiowing of
rivers large quantities of fish found
their way into the ponds and bayous
and In some cases into the cornf1elds
of Iowa, and 1t has been large under
taking to place these fish back into
the running waters to prevent them
from perishing. But in the Mississippi
river and tributaries and the bayous
along the river. fishing was never bet
ter than at the present time. The
warden has, under a new law, issued
a large number of seining permits 80
that persons may take food fish from
the streams under tie observation of
deputies. Complaint has been made
because this seining disturbs the
spawn of the game fish, but the warden
states that the seinfng can be done al
season so as not to cause any trouble Of
this kind. The penalty affixed for dy-
namiting has had the effect of putting
an entire stop to this practice OF kill
ing fish. In regard to the Bonoparte
dam controversy the warden reports
that the openings in the dam made
last spring are such as to permit free
travelling of the fish and no fishway Is
needed and he believes that should the
owners attempt to rebuild the dam the
law in regard to fishways could be en-
forced.
The warden asks appropriations as
follows for his department for the mex
two years: Protection and distribu-
tion of fish. $4,000; payment of deputy
fish wardens. $4,000; assistants salary,
$500; gathering fish at Sabula. $4,000;
railway transportation fish car. $1,000;
protection of game. $4,000; payment
deputy game wardens, $1,000; total,
$4,000. The expenditures DUNG the
period amounted to about $4,000.
The prairie chicken is fast becom-
ing an extinct bird in Iowa. and unless
something is done the hunters will soon
be unable to find these birds within the
borders of the state. The two wet
seasons past were very detrimental te
the propa cation of the prairie chick
en-. and Warden Lincoln is informed
that in many parts of the state there
are few chickens left. after gather
ing reports from over the state" says
Warden Lincoln, Il feel that the prairie
chicken will be a bird of the past un-
less measures are taken to prevent
their being killed or taken in any man
ner for specified time. and would
recommend that the law be so amend
ed that it will be unlawful to kill pin
mated grouse or prairie chicken fol
three years from the first day of July.
1904" The warden reports quail as
numerous In Iowa. but he would change
the open season from Nov. 1-Jan. tol
Oct. 1b-Dec l of each year. Tho
weather conditions were especially IA
vorable for ducks and large numbers
have been raised in the state; but the
warden recommends that the spring
season for ducks. geese and brant be
abolished. and the open season be from
Sept. to Jan. l.
Shooting birds and game on Sunday