1070                             Laws of Maryland                       [Ch. 710

after Section 8 of the said Article and Code, authorizing and em-
powering the Commission of Tidewater Fisheries to adopt rules
and regulations to prohibit the importation of shellfish into this
State and to quarantine any area within the State populated by
shellfish whenever there is evidence, in either case, of any biological
threat to the shellfish populations of this State, to amend, alter,
correct, supersede, repeal or rescind such rules and regulations
and to establish penalties for the violation of such rules and
regulations.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Section 8A be and it is hereby added to Article 66C of
the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition), title "Natural Re-
sources", sub-title "Department of Tidewater Fisheries", to follow
immediately after Section 8 of the said Article and Code, and to
read as follows:

8A. Importation of Shellfish May Be Prohibited.—Whenever there
is evidence or a reasonable suspicion of the presence of any destruc-
tive disease, deleterious genetic characteristic, or of any dangerous
parasite, or other biological threat to the shellfish populations of the
State of Maryland, the Commission of Tidewater Fisheries is author-
ized and empowered to adopt rules and regulations, and to amend,
alter, correct, repeal or rescind such rules and regulations, as from
time to time may be necessary and advisable, to prohibit the importa-
tion of any shellfish from any source outside of the State of Maryland,
and to quarantine any area within the State of Maryland populated
by shellfish infected or affected or suspected of being infected or
affected by any of the conditions enumerated herein, and to establish
by such rules and regulations the penalties for the violation of any
one or more of such rules and regulations; provided, however, that
no such penalty shall exceed a fine of $1,000.00, or imprisonment for
a period of one year, or both fine and imprisonment, together with the
confiscation, in addition to such fine, imprisonment, or fine and im-
prisonment, of all gear and equipment, whether afloat or ashore, used
in perpetrating the violation or violations, all in the discretion of
the court.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1959.

Approved April 28, 1959.

CHAPTER 710
(House Bill 813)

AN ACT to create Rural Water Areas under the jurisdiction of the
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission.

Explanation: Italics indicate new matter added to existing law.

[Brackets] indicate matter stricken from existing law.
CAPITALS indicate amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken out of bill.