Fish
Status
According to Richard Sparks (1975), a total of 67 species of fish are taken from the Illinois River by electrofishing from 1959 to 1974 (Table 29). This total includes 16 commercial species, 16 sport species, 8 species considered as both commercial and sport, and 27 other species.
Table 29: Phylogenetic Listing of Fish Species Taken by Electrofishing, 1959-1974 (Sparks 1975)
| Category** | ||||
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Commercial | Sport | Other |
| Longnose gar* | Lepisosteus osseus | X | ||
| Shortnose gar | Lepisosteus platostomus | X | ||
| Bowfin | Amia calva | X | ||
| American eel* | Anguilla rostrata | X | ||
| Skipjack herring* | Alosa chrysochloris | X | ||
| Gizzard shad | Dorosoma cepedianum | X | ||
| Goldeye* | Hiodon alosoides | X | ||
| Mooneye* | Hiodon tergisus | X | ||
| Grass pickerel* | Esox americanus vermiculatus | X | ||
| Northern pike* | Esox lucius | X | ||
| Goldfish | Carassius auratus | X | ||
| Carp | Cyprinus carpio | X | X | |
| Carp x goldfish hybrid | C. carpio x C. auratus | X | ||
| Silverjaw minnow* | Ericymba buccata | X | ||
| Silvery minnow* | Hybognathus nuchalis | X | ||
| Silver chub* | Hybopis storeriana | X | ||
| Golden shiner* | Notemigonus crysoleucas | X | ||
| Emerald shiner* | Notropis atherinoides | X | ||
| Ghost shiner* | Notropis buchanani | X | ||
| Striped shiner* | Notropis chrysocephalus | X | ||
| Pugnose minnow* | Notropis emiliae | X | ||
| Spottail shiner* | Notropis hudsonius | X | ||
*Denotes species that were infrequently taken, due to sampling technique or
to low population size.
** Based upon 1974-1975 Illinois Fishing Information, published by the Illinois
Department of Conservation. “Other” includes forage and bait species.
Sparks (1975) also reports that 19 fish species were extirpated from the Illinois River between 1908 and 1970 (Table 30).
Table 30: Fish Species Extirpated from the Illinois River and its Bottomland Lakes Between 1908 and 1970* (Sparks 1975)
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
| American brook lamprey | Lampetra lamottei |
| Alligator gar | Lepisosteus spatula |
| Cisco | Coregonus artedii |
| Ozark minnow | Dionda nubila |
| Pugnose shiner | Notropis anogenus |
| Common shiner | N. cornutus |
| Blackchin shiner | N. heterodon |
| Blacknose shiner | N. heterolepis |
| Rosyface shiner | N. rubellus |
| Weed shiner | N. texanus |
| Blacknose dace | Rhinichythys atratulus |
| Creek chubsucker | Erimyzon oblongus |
| Spotted sucker | Minytrema melanops |
| River redhorse | Moxostoma carinatum |
| Black redhorse | M. duquesnei |
| Freckled madtom | Noturus nocturnus |
| Bantam sunfish | Lepomis symmetricus |
| Iowa darter | Etheostoma exile |
| Fantail darter | E. flabellare |
* Taken from Starrett, 1972
