activities of these departments (Code 1951, Art. 66C, secs. 1-6). The
Board is composed of five ex-officio and eight appointive members.
The ex-officio members are the Chairman of the Commission of
Tidewater Fisheries and the Directors of each of the four remaining
departments. Eight appointive members hold office for four-year
terms and are designated by the Governor as follows: two from the
tidewater counties of the Eastern Shore, two from the tidewater
counties of the Western Shore and four from the State-at-large. The
Chairman of the Commission of Tidewater Fisheries is designated by
law as the Chairman of the Board, and since the former office is
appointive, he is, for all practical purposes, also an appointive mem-
ber. The Board is, therefore, composed of four professional ex-officio
members who are Directors of departments under Merit System rules
of tenure and who, therefore, form its permanent nucleus; the
remaining nine members, including the Chairman, are appointed by
the Governor. The members of the Board receive no salary for their
services. The Board was created to formulate broad general policies
on conservation. It is directed to publish an annual report covering
the activities of the five conservation departments; to maintain the
boundaries of the State (Art. 66C, secs. 31-32); to administer certain
mineral resources under the Chesapeake Bay (Art. 66C, secs. 22-30);
to administer artificial islands in Sinepuxent Bay (Art. 66C, sec.
33); and to approve or disapprove of certain fishery regulations (Art.
66C, secs. 289 and 326).

Appropriations 1955 1956
General Fund ................................ $16,343 $17,113
Staff: 3.

DEPARTMENT OF TIDEWATER FISHERIES

The Commission
Chairman: John P. Tawes, 1961
Fred P. Glose, 1959; Vacancy: 1957
Dorothy W. Eaton, Secretary
Robert Lee Shores, Chief Fisheries Inspector
Homer C. Ringgold, Assistant to Chairman
John C. Widener, Engineer
William E. Muir, Seafood Auditor
Ralph C. Hammer, Shellfish Culturist
Vacancy: Training and Public Relations
E. R. Leitner, Accountant
Edward S. Digges, Counsel

State Office Building Telephone: Colonial 3-2361
The Department of Tidewater Fisheries was established in 1941 as
an affiliated department of the Board of Natural Resources. The
department is the successor of the tidewater fisheries functions of
the former Conservation Department. The Department is headed by
a commission consisting of a Chairman and two associate members
appointed by the Governor for terms of six years with overlapping
tenure of office. The Commission formulates the basic policy which
is administered by the Department of Tidewater Fisheries. The
Commission also has power to make regulations governing the crab
fisheries and to enter into compact with the State of Virginia in this
regard, subject to review and approval by the Board of Natural
Resources. The Department is administering a three-part program
for the conservation of the fisheries. The first is concerned with
"farming" for the purpose of conserving and increasing the oyster.
The second is a fish management program which limits the number