﻿FISHEEIES 
  OF 
  GULF 
  STATES. 
  453 
  

  

  of 
  these 
  taxes, 
  except 
  the 
  50 
  cents 
  for 
  each 
  license, 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  paid 
  ove 
  

   to 
  the 
  state 
  treasurer, 
  and 
  constitutes 
  an 
  oyster 
  fund. 
  The 
  expenses 
  

   of 
  enforcing 
  the 
  law 
  are 
  paid 
  out 
  of 
  this 
  fund, 
  and 
  a 
  sum 
  not 
  exceed- 
  

   ing 
  $5,000 
  annually 
  may 
  be 
  expended 
  in 
  improving 
  the 
  oyster 
  reefs 
  

   and 
  in 
  spreading 
  shells 
  and 
  making 
  new 
  bottom, 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  

   the 
  board 
  of 
  oyster 
  commissioners. 
  

  

  All 
  oysters 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  public 
  reefs 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  must 
  be 
  culled 
  

   immediately 
  on 
  the 
  natural 
  beds 
  or 
  bars 
  as 
  taken, 
  and 
  all 
  young 
  

   oysters 
  less 
  than 
  two 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  all 
  shells 
  must 
  

   be 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  reefs. 
  No 
  cargo 
  of 
  oysters 
  is 
  allowed 
  to 
  contain 
  

   more 
  than 
  7 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  shells 
  and 
  small 
  oysters. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  deter- 
  

   mine 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  a 
  cargo 
  has 
  been 
  properly 
  culled, 
  the 
  inspector, 
  

   if 
  he 
  deems 
  it 
  necessar}'^, 
  may 
  cause 
  every 
  tenth 
  barrel 
  in 
  the 
  cargo 
  to 
  

   be 
  culled. 
  If 
  the 
  cargo 
  on 
  this 
  basis 
  proves 
  to 
  be 
  unculled 
  as 
  required 
  

   by 
  law, 
  he 
  shall 
  cause 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  reculled 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  oysters 
  and 
  shells 
  

   returned 
  to 
  the 
  reefs, 
  and 
  he 
  shall 
  prosecute 
  the 
  offender. 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  inspector 
  is 
  authorized, 
  between 
  May 
  15 
  and 
  September 
  1 
  

   in 
  each 
  year, 
  under 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  board 
  of 
  commissioners, 
  to 
  

   employ 
  boats, 
  crews, 
  and 
  laborers, 
  and 
  dredge 
  the 
  oysters 
  in 
  Missis- 
  

   sippi 
  Sound 
  from 
  places 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  too 
  thick 
  and 
  spread 
  them 
  on 
  

   reefs 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  too 
  thin, 
  and 
  to 
  carry 
  shells 
  from 
  the 
  factories 
  

   and 
  spread 
  them 
  in 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  beds 
  can 
  be 
  improved 
  and 
  enlarged. 
  

  

  The 
  legal 
  season 
  for 
  taking 
  oysters 
  in 
  Mississippi 
  waters 
  is 
  from 
  

   September 
  15 
  to 
  May 
  15, 
  and 
  oysters 
  are 
  not 
  allowed 
  to 
  be 
  shipped 
  

   out 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  from 
  May 
  1 
  to 
  September 
  15. 
  The 
  law 
  provides, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  oysters 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  year 
  for 
  local 
  

   consumption. 
  Oyster 
  planters 
  are 
  also 
  allowed 
  to 
  take 
  oysters 
  from 
  

   the 
  public 
  reefs 
  for 
  planting 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  from 
  May 
  16 
  

   to 
  July 
  1, 
  and 
  oysters 
  taken 
  for 
  planting 
  purposes 
  are 
  not 
  required 
  to 
  

   be 
  culled. 
  

  

  Steam 
  dredging 
  for 
  oysters, 
  which 
  began 
  in 
  1897 
  in 
  this 
  state, 
  was 
  

   prohibited 
  by 
  the 
  law 
  passed 
  in 
  1902, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  restrictions 
  

   upon 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  dredges 
  operated 
  by 
  sail 
  vessels 
  and 
  boats. 
  The 
  

   section 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  law 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  dredges 
  is 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Sec. 
  28. 
  No 
  steamer 
  or 
  other 
  vessel 
  using 
  or 
  propelled 
  by 
  steam 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  power 
  

   than 
  sail 
  or 
  hand, 
  and 
  no 
  dredge, 
  tongs, 
  scooj), 
  or 
  other 
  instrument 
  or 
  appliance 
  of 
  

   any 
  character, 
  propelled, 
  managed, 
  aided, 
  used, 
  or 
  oi^erated 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  steam 
  or 
  

   other 
  power 
  except 
  hand 
  and 
  sail, 
  shall 
  be 
  used 
  or 
  employed 
  in 
  catching 
  or 
  taking 
  

   oysters 
  in 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  this 
  State. 
  This 
  shall 
  not 
  prohibit 
  the 
  transportation 
  

   by 
  means 
  of 
  steam 
  vessels 
  of 
  any 
  oysters 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  lawfully 
  caught. 
  

  

  The 
  yield 
  of 
  oysters 
  in 
  Mississippi 
  in 
  1902 
  was 
  2,405,132 
  bushels, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $426,222, 
  an 
  increase, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  returns 
  of 
  1897, 
  

   of 
  1,775,410 
  bushels, 
  or 
  281.94 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  quantity, 
  and 
  of 
  $315,258, 
  

   or 
  284.10 
  per 
  cent 
  in 
  value. 
  The 
  catch 
  would 
  probably 
  have 
  been 
  

   still 
  larger, 
  but 
  the 
  requirement, 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time, 
  of 
  a 
  license 
  to 
  

  

  