Commercial and Sport Fishes of the Mississippi River Between Caruthersville, Missouri, and Dubuque, Iowa

Abstract

This paper is based on an analysis of the data relative to the species composition of the fishes appearing in test-net collections taken in 1944 and 1946 with various types of commercial gear at 31 sampling stations between Caruthersville, Missouri, and Dubuque, Iowa. The gear included types that could not be used legally by commercial fishermen in some or all of the co-operating states. The discussion is limited largely to the commercial and sport fishes of the river. The smaller-sized fishes, such as the minnows (Cyprinidae), seldom occurred in the test-net collections, as the minimum mesh used was 1 inch square.