Chap. 512.—An ACT licensing the taking or catching of scallops with scrapes
from the public grounds of the Commonwealth, and providing for the
designation of public scallop grounds. [S B 402]

Approyed March 28, 1922.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That it
shall be lawful for any person to take or catch scallops with scrapes
from the public grounds of the Commonwealth between January first
and June first of each year, upon the payment to the inspector of
the district in which he resides of a license tax of two dollars per
year, and an inspector’s fee of fifty cents. The inspector shall furnish
each such licensee with a metal ring having an inside measurement
of two and one-quarter inches, and it shall be unlawful for any person
to take or catch scallops of a size smaller than two and one-quarter
inches, measuring across the widest part thereof.

2. Any ground in the waters of this Commonwealth not assigned
to anyone for planting or bath purposes may, on application of
twenty or more citizens to the oyster inspector of the district in
which the land lies, be laid off and designated as public scallop
grounds; or the commission of fisheries may do so without such
petition if in its judgment it is expedient, provided in the opinion
of the said commission no oyster interests will suffer thereby, and
the scallops are of sufficient quantity for a person to realize at least
one and one-half dollars per day catching and taking scallops from
said ground, and, if laid off, the commission of fisheries shall have
the metes and bounds of said ground accurately designated by proper
and suitable stakes, and also have a plat made of same, to be recorded
in the clerk’s office of the county wherein the ground lies, all costs
of surveying, platting and recording to be paid by the applicants ;
and said grounds shall be set apart and remain as public scallop
grounds for the common use of the citizens of this State so long
as the said commission may deem best, and shall not be assigned to
anyone during such period.

3. Any person violating any provision of this act shall be deemed
guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, be fined not.
less than twenty-five dollars, nor more than one hundred dollars, and
be confined in jail not less than ten days nor more than six months.