Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners 29 



THE HAMAN OYSTER CULTURE LAW. 



OBJECT. 



The Legislature in placing Chapter 711 of the Acts of 1906, 

 better known as the Haman Oyster Culture Law, upon the 

 statute books of Maryland had a two-fold object in view : 



1. To encourage an industry in oyster culture upon the 

 barren bottoms beneath the tidewaters of the State. 



2. To prevent the leasing of natural oyster bars for the 

 purpose of oyster culture. 



SURVEY. 



To make the leasing of barren bottoms possible and the leas- 

 ing of natural bars impossible, provision was made for a survey 

 of the natural bars for the purpose of accurately locating and 

 marking the same. It was definitely provided that no barren 

 bottoms should be leased in any part of the State until the 

 natural bars of that region had been surveyed, charted and 

 marked with buoys. 



NATURAL BAR NOT DEFINED. 



The Shell Fish Commission is instructed by Section 90 of the 

 Haman Oyster Culture Law to exercise its judgment liberally 

 in favor of the natural bars when surveying, charting and 

 buoying them, but other than this the Commission is unin- 

 structed in this important matter. The responsibility of 

 defining a natural bar is placed upon the Commission. 



