CHAP. 284.—An ACT to amend and re-enact subsection 13 of section 2086
of the Code of Virginia, as amended and re-enacted by an act approved
Fekruary 18, 1890, by an act approved March 8, 1898, by an act ap-
proved March 1, 1900, by an act approved March 14, 1902, by an act
approved May 5, 1903, and by act approved March 14, 1908; and to
repeal the following sections of the Code of Virginia, and the follow-
ing acts of the general assembly of Virginia, and all acts or parts of
acts in conflict with this act; sections 2083, 2084, 2085, 2087, 2096,
21€0, 2102; an act entitled an act to prohibit the catching of blue
fish in the waters of this commonwealth by non-residents of this State;
to prohibit the employment of vessels owned by non-residents for such
fishing; to require a license tax on residents for such blue fishing, and
to impose a penalty for the violation of this act, approved May 5, 1903,
an act entitled an act to prohibit the use of pound nets and purse nets
in the waters of James and Chickahominy rivers below tidewater, ap-
proved Mav 16, 1887, as amended by act approved March 1, 1888; an
act entitled an act to provide for setting apart and designating crab-
bing grounds in the waters of the commonwealth, approved February
38, 1900; an act entitled an act to provide for clamming grounds in
the waters of this State, approved March 8, 1894, approved Magch 14,

Approved March 14, 1912.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
subsection thirteen of section two thousand and eighty-six of the
Code of Virginia, as amended, be further amended and re-enacted
so as to read as follows:

$13. Any resident of this State desiring to take or catch
crabs from the waters thereof by any of the means hereinafter
mentioned, or any person desiring to engage in the business of
buying or marketing crabs for picking or canning the same in
any way, shall pay to the oyster inspector of the district in which
he resides t > following license tax and inspector’s fee: (1) for
each pe} vorking on any boat used in taking or catching soft
crabs with scrapes, or with net other than a dip net with handle,
two dollars and an inspector’s fee of fifty cents; provided, no
steam or motor boat shall be used in the taking or catching of soft
crabs; (2) for each sail boat to be used solely for the purpose of
taking or catching hard crabs with scrapes, five dollars and an
inspector’s fee of seventy-five cents; (3) for each power boat to
be used solely for the purpose of taking or catching hard crabs
with scrapes, twenty-five dollars and an inspector’s fee of one
dollar; (4) for each picking or crating house, ten dollars ard an
inspector’s fee of one dollar; (5) for each canning and pack-
ing house, twenty-five dollars and an inspector’s fee of one dollar;
(6) for each boat used in buying crabs, or for each person or firm
engaged in marketing hard crabs by barrel or crate, five dollars
and an inspector’s fee of fifty cents; provided, no person who is
duly licensed to catch crabs shall be required to procure further
license for marketing or shipping his own catch. But no scrapes
or dredges shall be used for catching hard crabs between the
first day of May and the first day of November of any year, nor
shall any person catch, take or have in possession at any time a
hard crab, other than one in the peeler stage, which shall measure
less than three and one-half inches across the shell from tip to
tip of spike.

In licensing persons for taking crabs with scrapes employed
on sail boat, the oyster inspector shall mark upon the starboard
prow and foresail of such person’s boat the number of such license
in conspicuous figures of not less than five inches in length,
preceded in all cases by the numbcr of oyster district and the
letter C., and within the C. the number of persons licensed on such
boat; for example, ‘4 C2 1” means district number four, license
number oné, and two persons licensed. Said numbers and letter
shall be kept displayed during the crabbing season by the master
of the boat. No person shall be authorized under the provisions
of this act, or otherwise, to locate or maintain any net or nets in
the waters of Hampton Roads adjacent to the county of Elizabeth
City, between Old Point Comfort and Newport News Point, at a
distance of less than three hundred yards from any other stand
or stands, and all acts and parts of acts in conflict herewith be,
and the same are hereby, repealed. Any person failing to com-
ply with any of the provisions of this section, or in any way vio-
lating the same, shall be fined not less than ten nor more than two
hundred dollars for each offense.