io8 Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners. 



7. Preventing Oyster Planting in Water Contaminated with 



Sewage. 



The Shell Fish Commission realizes that its most important 

 duties are those of pointing out the defects in the scheme of oyster 

 culture which has been adopted by Maryland and of assisting, in 

 every way possible, in the removal of these defects. It hesitates, 

 therefore, to recommend more than it is reasonable to expect can 

 be carried out, or to suggest any thing which can be used in any 

 way to cloud the issue. 



For this reason the many important problems of the fishery in- 

 terests of the State, with which the Commission has become more 

 or less familiar, although closely and in some cases vitally con- 

 nected with the oyster fishery, have been purposely avoided. 



There is one situation, however, which is likely to develop in 

 connection with oyster culture, and will have to be met sooner or 

 later because of the very serious bearing it will have upon the whole 

 oyster industry of the State, and which, therefore, demands some 

 attention : that of the proximity of planted oyster grounds to water 

 contaminated with sew T age. ' At the present time this situation can 

 hardly be said to exist in Maryland, and it is not now serious, but, 

 as oyster culture becomes more and more developed, grounds are 

 likely to be leased for the purposes of oyster culture in localities 

 where conditions may not be as free from sewage as the oyster 

 trade might desire, and, should the question as to the wholesome- 

 ness of our oyster be allowed to come up and be given publicity, 

 the damage to the whole oyster industry of the State would be 

 great. 



It is an easy matter to deal with this situation now, but it will 

 become more and more difficult if property rights are permitted to 

 be developed in localities where unsanitary conditions exist. The 

 Commission therefore suggests that the Oyster Culture law be so 

 amended as to make the granting- of leases to lots for the purposes 

 of oyster culture by the Shell Fish Commission, subject to the ap- 

 proval of the State Board of Health. 



