1334 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 766

repeal Section 108 of said Article, and to enact in lieu
thereof a new section to be known as Section 108, and to
follow immediately after Section 107 of said Article; amend-
ing the law relating to sponge crabs; authorizing the Con-
servation Commission to regulate or prohibit the catching,
canning, packing, shipping or possession of the same, and
prescribing penalties for violation of such regulation or
prohibition.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Mary-
land, That Section 109 of Article 39 of the Annotated Code of
Maryland (1939 Edition), title "Fish and Fisheries", sub-
title "Crabs", be, and the same is hereby repealed and re-
enacted, with amendments, to read as follows:

109. Regulations on Certain Kinds and Sizes of Crabs. It
shall be unlawful for any person to take, catch or have in his
possession any hard crabs, measuring less than five inches
across the shell from tip to tip of spike, or any peelers (which
are hereby defined as having a soft shell fully developed under
the hard shell, on which there is a pink line or rim on the
edge of that part of the back fin next to the outer section of
this fin) measuring less than three inches across the shell from
tip to tip of spike, or any soft crabs measuring less than three
an one-half inches across the shell from tip to tip of spike;
nor shall any person take, catch or keep in floats or in his
possession any fat crab, or any crab known as snot crab or
green crab, or buckram crab (a crab that has a paper shell).
The provisions of this section shall apply to all waters of the
State of Maryland, and any person violating any provisions of
this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon
conviction be fined as hereinafter provided, and in addition
thereto the Deputy Commanders and Inspectors of the State
Fishery Force are hereby authorized to confiscate and liberate
into the waters of the State any fat crab, snot crab, green crab,
buckram crab wherever found and held in violation of this
section, and said officers are further authorized to confiscate
any hard crabs, peelers or soft crabs of a size less than the
measurements hereinbefore provided, wherever found, and
shall dispose of any crabs so confiscated under the direction
of the Conservation Commission to the best interests of the
State.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That Section 108 of Arti-
cle 39 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1939 Edition), title
"Fish and Fisheries", sub-title "Crabs", be, and the same is
hereby repealed, and a new section in lieu thereof is hereby
enacted, to be known as Section 108, to follow immediately
after Section 107 of said Article, and to read as follows: