head of the Bay being one of the' points where crabs have been reported
and Alexandria on the Potomac being another,

Anyone who has followed the efforts on the part of the Department
for the past five years will have no difficulty in determining that con-
servation measures adopted by the States of Maryland and Virginia are
solely responsible for the return of the crab.

There is also continual increase in the supply of upland game and
water fowl, vvhich is due principally to the restocking of the covers of
the State with bob-white, quail and rabbits, the protection and regu-
lation of same by placing uniform seasons throughout the State, and
tire enforcement of the Game Law's,

While there is not yet a noticeable increase in the supply of oysters,
it may be said that if it had not been for the progressive oyster laws
enacted in the past four years, results would have been disasterous. Tire
enactment of such laws as planting 10 % of the shells made by the dif-
ferent oyster packers, which law has been upheld by the Supreme Court
of the ignited States, and the liberal appropriations given by the Legis-
lature in 1927 and 1929, have made it possible for the Department to
the State with boll-white quail and rabbits, the protection and. regu
plant 830,000 bushels of oyster shells this year, thereby making 2,000.000
bushels of shells and seed oysters planted on depicted bottoms of Mary-
land thus far. This work will be continued so as long as the 10% law
remains on the statute books and the appropriations continue. Shell
planting is also aided by reservations of certain areas known as seed
areas, in which planters are able to secure young seed oysters to lie
planted upon their private grounds. Renewed activity in private oyster
propagation, enforcement of the three-inch cull law and other conserva-
tion measures are not only stemming the decrease in the oyster output,
but are expected to cause rapid increase in oyster production both on
the natural rocks and from private beds.

The Department will keep pace with this progress by building and
maintaining a Marine Laboratory provided for by the last General As-
sembly. The scientific information available from this source is expected
to be of great benefit to the oyster industry.

The principal laws which were enacted by the 1929 General Assern-
bly are as follows:

FISH AND CRABS

Tire re-enactment of Article 39 of the Code of Public General Lawn,
title "Fish and Fisheries," which act provides for the uniformity of all
tire fish laws of the State, both general and local, pertaining to fisheries
and repealing all that are inconsistent. There were nearly 300 sections
of old flail laws re-enacted into an article containing 100 sections,

TERRAPIN

What previously applied to the fish laws may be said about the laws
pertaining to diamond-back terrapin. Article 92 was rewritten and like-
wise repeated all the local laws inconsistent therewith. As a result we
now have uniform seasons on catching, having in possession, selling and
size of terrapin throughout the waters of the State.

BLACK BASS

One of the most important fish laws that has been enacted for some
time is the one relating to Black Bass, namely, Chapter 180 of the Acts
of 1929. This act prohibits the catching, sale, transporting or having
in possession any black bass in the State during the months of April,
May, June and July, when caught in tidal waters. Above tide the season
for catching bass remains the same, July 1st to November 30th. This