Fisheries

The pre-settlement river is far more hospitable to native fishes, although there is no documentation as to the conditions prior the late 1800s. Anecdotal information can provide a sense of what past conditions were. For example, in 1765, Peter Pond, a trapper and fur trader makes the following observation:

“We put our hook and lines into the water and let the lie all night. In the morning we perceived that there was a fish at the hooks and hauled on our line. At length we had one ashore that weighed a hundred and four pounds, a second that weighed one hundred pounds and third of seventy-five pounds. The men were glad to see this for they had not ate meat for some days or fish for a long time...The fish was what was called a catfish. It had a large flat head, sixteen inches between the eyes” (Herndon, Jr. 2002).

The Reports of the Illinois Fish Commissioner around the turn of the 19th century provide accounts of largemouth bass fishing in the backwater lakes, including Thompson and Quiver lakes. Largemouth bass are so plentiful that it is common to catch 100-200 fish in a day of pole and line fishing (Herndon, Jr. 2002).

Scientific documentation of the fishery of the Illinois River is not conducted until the late-1800s with the founding of the State Laboratory of Natural History in Normal. Interestingly, at this time, state agencies are more interested in rescuing stranded fish during low water events than in examining the status of the fishery (Herndon, Jr. 2002). These agencies could not foresee the changes that would occur throughout the river basin that would have catastrophic effects on the fishery. Unfortunately, these changes and their effects are soon documented.

Two conflicting circumstances occur related to the fisheries in the Illinois River. First, changing conditions make it difficult for fish to survive. According to Alvord and Burdick (1915), for fish to prosper, certain conditions are required, all of which are threatened by the changes that occur:

1. Water of sufficient quality to provide the necessary oxygen
2. An abundance of food
3. Breeding grounds
4. Shallow waters for young fish to develop
5. Deep waters for mature fish
6. Means of travel up and down the river

The second circumstance is the dramatic increase in fisheries from the late 1890s through 1908.