OYSTER-INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 301 



Whoever robs a plantation of oysters is liable to a fine of from $20 to 

 $100, and, in default of payment, may be imprisoned for a term not 

 exceeding a year. 



When a planter is found guilty of having taken oysters from a neigh- 

 boring plantation his grant is withdrawn, and all the products confis- 

 cated to the State, while he is also subject to the ordinary punishment 

 for theft. The right of fishing for oysters in waters belonging to the 

 State is withdrawn for three years from persons twice convicted of 

 transgressing the laws concerning plantations. 



Connecticut. — In Connecticut each district has the right, in a special 

 meeting of the inhabitants, to nominate a committee of five members at 

 the most, who shall designate the places in the navigable waters where 

 oysters may be cultivated without infringing upon the rights of citizens, 

 and without detriment to navigation. Persons wishing to establish a 

 plantation must address a written petition to the committee, clearly 

 indicating the parts of the sea or river which they wish to occupy. If 

 nothing asked for in this petition is contrary to the public interest, the 

 committee may issue a grant, defining the situation and the limits of 

 the plantation, and the time it may be held. 



The extent of ground occupied by any one person must not exceed 

 two acres, and before taking effect the grant must be registered by the 

 clerk of the district. Plantations must be surrounded by poles, two 

 feet at least above the highest water mark. 



The owner of land on which there is a small creek or estuary may, 

 with the permission of the selectmen, close it with a sluice-dike, in order 

 to form a depot for oysters, where they may be fattened. He must pre- 

 sent his request to the selectmen of the district, and if, in their opinion, 

 the dam will not interfere with the privileges of the public, or be an 

 obstacle to navigation, these officers will represent the case at the next 

 annual meeting, and, if approved, the party interested may construct 

 the dam in question. 



Any person convicted of taking oysters from a plantation without 

 permission, or of removing or injuring in any way the boundary-marks, 

 is punished, for the first offense, by a fine not exceeding $7, and an 

 imprisonment of not more than thirty days ; for the second offense, by 

 a fine of from $7 to $10, and an imprisonment of from one to three 

 months ; and for every subsequent repetition of the offense, by a fine 

 of $50, and imprisonment for six months. The guilty party is also 

 liable to punishment by the State authorities. 



Any one who establishes a plantation upon a bank of natural oysters, 

 without permission, is liable to a fine of from $5 to $50, one-half of 

 which goes to the treasurer of the district in which the offense was com- 

 mitted, and the other half to the informant. 



New YorTc. — In the State of New York, all land-holders on the banks 

 of the Harlem Eiver, have the right to plant oysters in the bed of the 

 river, in front of their property, provided that a sign-board, with the 



