Report of the Board of Shell Fish Commissioners. 9 
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and the U. 8. Bureau of 
Fisheries it would be well nigh impossible to complete the 
survey within a reasonable period along the lines on which 
the work was begun. Fe 
To the daily press of Baltimore City the Commission here- 
by expresses its obligation for the encouragement and assist- 
ance the cause of oyster culture has received through the many 
editorials and reports, pertaining to the subject and to the 
preliminary survey work, which have appeared in its columns. 
Knowing that a general interest in oyster culture and a 
knowledge of the conditions under which oyster culture may 
be successfully carried on, is of prime necessity for the work 
of perfecting the scheme of legislation such as has been 
inaugurated by the State of Maryland for the development 
of the latent possibilities of the barren bottoms of her tide 
waters, the Commission takes this opportunity to solicit the 
continued support of the press for the law and especially the 
advocacy of such amendments to the law as are clearly shown 
by experience to be necessary to its ultimate success. 
THE HAMAN OYSTER CULTURE LAW. 
OBJECT. 
The Legislature in placing Chapter 711 of the Acts of 1906, 
better known as the Haman Oyster Culture Law, upon the 
statute books of Maryland had a two-fold object in view: 
1. ‘To encourage an industry in oyster culture upon the 
barren bottoms beneath the tidewaters of the State. 
2. To prevent the leasing of natural oyster bars for the 
purpose of oyster culture. 
SURVEY, 
To make the leasing of barren bottoms possible and the 
leasing of natural bars impossible, provision was made for a 
survey of the natural bars for the purpose of accurately 
locating and marking the same. It was definitely provided 
that no barren bottoms should be leased in any part of the 
State until the natural bars of that region had been surveyed, 
charted and marked with buoys. 
