Chap. 967.—An ACT to provide for the registration of any person, being a resi-
dent of this state, who desires to take or catch oysters, for sale or planting,
from the natural rocks or shoals on the eastern or ocean side of Accomac and
Northampton counties, and prescribing a fine for so taking oysters without
being registered ; and for the registration of any skiff, scow, bateau, or other
snail crait used in so taking and catching oysters, providing for a fine fora
failure to register the same if the owner be known, and for the sale thereof if
the ewner be unknown; and to provide for the policing of the waters of the
said eastern or ocean side of Accomac and Northampton counties.

Approved March 4, 1898.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That any person,
being a resident of the state, who shall be desirous of catching or taking
oysters, fur sale or planting, from the natural rocks, beds or shoals on
the eastern or ocean side of Accomac and Northampton counties, shall
apply to the inspector of the district in which he resides for registra-
ion. He shall furnish the inspector, on oath, with his name, place of
residence, district and county, the water courses in which he designs to
“ake or catch oysters, and the kind of boat or craft to be used or em-
ployed by him. Thereupon the inspector shall register him; and if any
person shall be found catching or taking oysters for sale or planting in
the foregoing waters, without ‘being registered in accordance with the
provisions of this section, he shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor;
and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than ten nor more
than twenty-five dollars.

2. Any resident of this state owning a skiff, scow, bateau, or other
small craft, to be used in taking or catching oysters, for sale or plant-
ing, from the natural rocks, beds or shoals on the eastern or ocean side
of Accomac or Northampton counties, shall apply to the inspector of
the county or district in which he resides before using or employing the
same for the purpose of taking oysters as aforesaid, and have such boat

registered. The inspector shall register said boat, and prescribe for said
boat a number corresponding w ith the number of boats registered,
which number of boat and number of district he shall cause to be
plainly marked or stamped upon the prow of said boat. For each
registration, annually, the owner of said boat shall pay to the inspector a
fee of one dollar and tw enty-five cents, twenty-five cents of which shall go
to the inspector, and one dollar shall be returned by said inspector, with
his monthly report, to the oyster fund of the state. Any skiff, scow,
bateau, or other small boat, used for the taking of oysters, for sale or
planting, from the natural rocks, beds or shoals in the waters before men-
tioned, not registered, shall be taken in charge by the inspector, or any
officer ‘having ‘authority under the board of fisheries, and if the owner

can be found he shall be fined not less than five nor more than tw enty
dollars, to be recovered according to law; if the owner cannot be found
the inspector is directed and hereby authorized to advertise said boat
for thirty days, and if no person claims said boat the inspector is au-
thorized to sell the same at public auction and turn over the proceeds
of sale, less the cost of advertising and expenses of sale, to the auditor
of public accounts, together with a report of his action in the matter, a
duplicate of whic h report shall be likewise forwarded to the board of
fisheries.

3. The board of fisheries is hereby empowered and directed, at the
discretion of said board, to expend so much of the fund accruing under
the provisions of this act as may be necessary to police the w aters on
the eastern or ocean side of said counties of Accomac and Northampton

‘for the enforcement of the state laws relating to oysters, fish, clams,
crabs and terrapin; and said board shall have authority to use at its
discretion any suitable boat belonging to the oyster navy, or to employ
other boats and crews under like restrictions and with like police author-
ity as are now accorded by law to other vessels and steamers of the
oyster navy: provided, however, that no money shall be expended in
the purchasing of any police boat or boats, or in equipping the same, or
in the employment of crews or maintaining the same, except as may be
collected from the taxes, rentals, fees and fines accruing from the oyster
and fisheries fund derived from said eastern or ocean side of Accomac and
Northampton counties.
4. All acts or parts of acts in conflict with this act be, and the same
are hereby, repealed in so far as they may be in conflict with this act.
5. This act shall be in force from its passage.