O 



02 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



name of the owner plainly inscribed upon it, marks the spot as private 

 property. If this condition is fulfilled, no one but the proprietor or his 

 agents can take the oysters from the plantation, under a penalty of $50, 

 in additiou to the value of the oysters stolen. 



In Jamaica Bay, Queens County, land-owners on the shores of the 

 bay and its tributaries, may plant oysters in front of their property, 

 starting from the line of low tide and extending the beds about 6G feet. 

 No person, or association of persons, is allowed to occupy more than a 

 quarter of a mile along the shore. In this locality robbery of the 

 plantations is punished by a fine of $25. 



New Jersey. — In certain parts of this State the proprietors of tidal 

 ground, in which are ponds, creeks, coves, &c, of salt water, which are 

 not required for any public purpose, may use these for the culture or 

 preservation of oysters by inclosing them with a dam. 



Persons who, without permission, take oysters from the plantations, 

 are punished with a fine of $20, without taking into account the action 

 the owner may take for his damaged property. 



Delaware. — According to the legislation of this State any citizen can 

 establish in public waters a plantation, not exceeding one acre in ex- 

 tent, provided it is not on a natural bank of oysters, and that it does 

 not interfere with navigation. It is necessary to inclose the plantation 

 with poles or stakes, and to mark the ownership distinctly; and then 

 any person who commits a depredation upon it is punished by a fine of 

 $20. A person not a citizen of the State cannot, under any pretext 

 whatever, deposit oysters in the bays, creeks, or rivers, under a penalty 

 of $20 and confiscation of the mollusks. 



Maryland. — Every citizen of Maryland may appropriate in the rivers, 

 creeks, bays, &c, of the State, an extent of maritime ground, not ex- 

 ceeding one acre, for depositing and cultivating oysters, either for his 

 own personal use, or for commercial purposes ; provided he opposes no 

 obstacle to navigation, and does not iuterfere with the rights of land- 

 owners on the shore. A written description of the plantation and its 

 limits, given under oath, must be registered by the clerk of the dis- 

 trict. 



In all cases the land-owners on the shore have a right of priority 

 over one acre of ground, extending from the ordinary low-water mark. 

 The plantations should be, as nearly as possible, rectangular. 



Landholders having upon their property creek3 or inlets, with mouths 

 not over 100 yards wide, may use them for oyster plantations. 



CHAPTER THIRD. 

 THE OYSTER-BUSINESS IN SEVERAL CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



A complete work upon the American oyster-fisheries ought, properly, 

 to include all the localities in which they are carried on to any extent ; 

 but the length of time such an extended exposition of the subject would 



