MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                            2865

oysters in the shell out of the State. An inspection tax
of [ten] 10 cents per bushel shall be levied upon
marketable oysters shipped in the shell to any place
outside the State and the shipper shall pay the tax when
the permit required by this subsection is issued. The
tax imposed by this subsection shall be levied in
addition to every other tax imposed on oysters.

4-1031.

Every hard—shell clam dealer shall pay a special tax
of [five] 5 cents for each bag, which shall contain no
more than 105 hard—shell clams, on all clams sold by him,
and shall remit the tax weekly to the Department.

4-1035.

A severance tax of [ten] 10 cents per bushel shall
be levied on all soft—shell class caught within the
State. The tax shall be paid by the buyer of clams at
the place in the State where the clams are to be shipped
in bulk no further by vessel, or before clams are shipped
out of the State by vessel. All taxes shall be remitted
weekly to the department for deposit to the credit of the
Fisheries Research and Development Fund.

4-1101.

(f) "Marketable oyster" means an oyster measuring
[three] 3 inches or more from hinge to mouth.

4-1103.

(d) The Department may select and reserve for its
own use areas, to be known as seed areas, within the
waters of the State for the propagation of seed oysters.
The number, size, and location of these areas shall be
determined from time to time by the Department. However,
no more than [five] 5 percent of the natural oyster bars
of the State shall be designated as seed areas. The
first million bushels of seed oysters produced in seed
areas shall be planted on the natural oyster bars of the
State. At least 50 percent of the seed oysters removed
in any year from any seed area to be planted on any
natural oyster bar shall be planted on the natural oyster
bars of the county in which that seed area is located.
The Department shall publish a notice of reservation not
less than 30 days before the closing date of any seed
area in one newspaper of general circulation in the State
and at least one newspaper of general circulation in each
county of the State. The Department shall schedule a
public hearing on the proposal not. less than 15 days
before the proposed closing date. The hearing shall be
held at the county seat of the county in which the