Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners. 101 



3. Providing for Privilege of Securing Seed Oysters. 



Section 1 1 1 should be amended to read as follows : "It shall be 

 lawful for any tongman during the month of September in any 

 year, to take oysters of any size from such natural beds or bars in 

 any part of the tonging districts of the State, within the tributaries 

 of the Chesapeake bay, that the Commission may mark out for that 

 purpose, and under such regulations as said Commission may from 

 time to time prescribe; provided, however, that said Commission 

 shall not prescribe any area other than the following : Broad creek, 

 Harris creek and that part of the Potomac river from and above a 

 line from Lower Cedar Point wharf, on the Maryland shore, to 

 Persimmon Point, on the Virginia shore ; but dredge boats may not 

 take any oysters from any of the beds or bars situated in the tong- 

 ing districts of the State ; and it is further provided that said oysters 

 may be sold only, during the month of the year above mentioned, to 

 persons engaged in the industry of planting and cultivating oysters 

 within the area designated by this Act, the same to be delivered 

 only upon lands which have been leased under the provisions of this 

 Act for such purpose of planting or cultivating oysters. Further, 

 it shall be lawful for any licensed dredge boat, during the month of 

 September in any year, to take oysters of any size from the natural 

 beds or bars within that part of the Chesapeake bay situated north 

 of a straight line between Bodkin Point, on the Western Shore, and 

 Swan Point, on the Eastern Shore, excluding, however, the whole 

 of Swan Point Oyster bar, said oysters to be taken and disposed of 

 only for the same purpose and under the same regulations as are 

 prescribed, in the foregoing part of this section, for the oysters taken 

 by tongmen from Broad creek, Harris creek and that part of Poto- 

 mac river above a line from Lower Cedar Point wharf, on the 

 Maryland shore, to Persimmon Point, on the Virginia shore ; but 

 tongmen may not take any oysters from any of the beds or bars in 

 this part of the Chesapeake bay during the month of the year above 

 mentioned, Swan Point Oyster bar excepted." 



DISCUSSION. 



The three changes in the Haman Oyster Culture Law outlined in 

 the foregoing recommendations are considered by the Board of 

 Shell Fish Commissioners to be the minimum from which nothing 



