Sb OE CONNECTICUT. 
REPORT. 
To His Excellency the Governor and the General Assembly of the 
State of Connecticut : 
The Commissioners of Shell Fisheries respectfully present 
their Eighth Annual Report, covering the period beginning with 
November 1, 1887, and ending with October 31, 1888. 
Section 2316 of the General Statutes of 1888 provides that a 
report shall be made by the Commissioners of Shell Fisheries to 
the General Assembly dzennzally. ‘These Statutes became the law 
of the State January 1, 1888. The last annual report required 
by the previous law was made in October, 1887. The propriety, 
and indeed the necessity, of making a report at this, time will 
clearly appear when it is understood that the work of the Com- 
missioners for a year or more preceding the approaching session 
of the General Assembly would be unknown to its members; and 
as it is desirable that the reports in future shall be brought as 
nearly as possible to the time of the beginning of the biennial 
sessions, this report, made at this time, will ensure that result. 
The work of the Commission has proceeded in its accustomed 
channels the past year, and it has not been marked by any un- 
usual event. It has been greatly impaired by the reduction of 
the appropriation made by the last Assembly; but the Commis- 
sioners have nothing to add to what was said upon the subject 
in their last report, beyond the fact that another year’s experience 
has fully demonstrated the unwisdom of such a reduction. 
DESIGNATIONS. 
Since October 1, 1887, the date of the last report, 55 appli- 
cations for grounds have been received, covering an area of 2,387 
