Crabs: (Article 39)

Chap. 138, Amending Section 98A - Granting the Conserva-
tion Commission the power and authority, in its discretion, to
prohibit the taking of crabs in any of the waters of Maryland
during the month of November, 1936.

Fish: (Article 89)

Chap. 119, Amending Section 47 - Authorizing fishing within
800 yards of the natural shore line in Cecil County.

STATE GAME DEPARTMENT OF MARYLAND.

Game.

The State Game Department, or Game Division, of the Conserva-
tion Commission acts as an agency for the enforcement of game and
fresh water fish law and is supported entirely from receipts thru the
sale of hunting licenses, which are credited to the State Game Protec-
tion Fund and disbursed for the protection and propagation of game,
however, the deputy game wardens enforce the fish laws at all points
above tide water and receive their compensation from the State Game
Protection Fund and not from the anglers license., The General Treas-
ury does not appropriate a single penny to the support of the Division.

The State Game Department was created by Chapter 293, General
Assembly of 1896 and consolidated with the Conservation Commission
by Chapter 682, Acts of 1916 when said Commission was created.
Prior to 1916 the General Assembly appropriated $2600 every two
years for support and maintenance for said Department. With oniy
one salaried officer, namely the State Game Warden, it was impossible
for him, no matter how ambitious he may have been, to make a scratch
on the surface in the enforcement of the laws and, of course, did not
have one penny to expend for propagation.

The hunters license system was created by Chapter 468, Acts of
1918, which requires those who enjoy the great outdoors to contribute
to a Fund for support of the Division and until this law was enacted
the Department was one by name and not by action due to the lack of
finances. For instances, beginning with the fiscal year of 1916, there
was $511 in the Treasury to the credit of the Department. Since the
enactment of the hunters license system in 1918, the Department re-
ports $129,000 in assets and no liabilities, with a salaried staff of 26
deputy game wardens stationed throughout the State and 600 non..
salaried deputies.

The Department has in operation two State..owned game farms,
namely the Gwynnbrook Farm, Baltimore county, and the Wicomico
Farm in Wicomico county, where large numbers of bob..white and
other species of game are propagated in captivity; also operate a
propagation plant on a small scale at the Montgomery county Game
Refuge and the Washington county Game Refuge. The Department
owns 5301 acres purchased from hunters license receipts and said
areas are used as game refuges and propagation plants and in addi-
tion has under lease 36,359 acres used for the same purpose.

New Legislation.

During the session of the General Assembly of 1937, there were
only three Bills enacted pertaining to Game, namely -
Chapter 110, repealing the short-term non-resident hunting license;
Chapter 524, open season on deer, state-wide, due to the increase of
this game animal and reducing the season on squirrels due to the
scarcity to 15 days, namely October 1 to October 15 inclusive. The
rest of the Upland Game season remaining as heretofore. This Chapter
also provides it to be unlawful to hunt any upland game by means