204 Report of 'the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners 



mends that the right to plant, cultivate and gather oysters 

 from lots leased in any part of the State, by any means whatso- 

 ever and at any time whatsoever, be granted, and that severe 

 penalties be provided for dredging or otherwise taking oysters 

 by planters beyond the limits of their private lots. 



MAINTENANCE OP STATE BUOYS. 



Section 86 of the Haman Oyster Culture Law provides that 

 State buoys be placed at the corners of the natural oyster bars 

 in order that oystermen may see that all natural bars have been 

 surveyed and charted and permanently excluded from lease for 

 .oyster culture. 



Since oystermen are in no need of buoys to mark the location 

 of the oyster bars to which they resort, the State buoys placed 

 at the corners of the natural bars cease to be of practical value 

 to oystermen when the period, after the charts have been filed, 

 during which appeals in accordance with Section, 91 can be 

 made to the Circuit Court, from the action of the Commission, 

 has elapsed. 



The State buoys can be maintained only at an annual expense 

 almost equal to their original cost (see page 128), for very few 

 of those which are carried away can be recovered and, without 

 careful and regular attention, the life of those which are not 

 carried away is not more than two years. 



The Commission recommends that buoys be placed at the 

 corners of all natural bars after they have been surveyed, as 

 now provided, but that these buoys be not maintained longer 

 than a period of four months, dating from the filing of the 

 charts. 



ASSISTANTS APPOINTED BY COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. 



The Commission recommends that the County Commissioners 

 of each county in which there are natural oyster bars yet to be 

 surveyed be authorized, upon request by the Commission, to 

 appoint a resident from each tidewater district of said county, 

 familiar with all the natural oyster bars and crabbing bottoms 



