720                               LAWS OF MARYLAND                       [CH. 514

this fine old Maryland fish should be honored by being designated as
the official fish of the State of Maryland, now therefore

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That a new Section 71A be and it is hereby added to Article 41 of the
Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition), title "Governor—
Executive and Administrative Departments", to follow immediately
after Section 71 thereof, and to be under the new sub-title "Maryland
Fish", and to read as follows:

Maryland Fish
71A.

The striped bass or rockfish (Roccus saxatilis) is designated as the
official fish of the State of Maryland.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1965.

Approved April 8, 1965.

CHAPTER 514
(Senate Bill 431)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 659 of
Article 66C of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1964 Supple-
ment), title "Natural Resources", sub-title "Mining", sub-heading
"Strip Mining", amending the laws concerning strip mining in
order to change for Allegany County the amount of bond required
from strip mining operators.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 659 of Article 66C of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1964 Supplement), title "Natural Resources", sub-title "Mining",
sub-heading "Strip Mining", be and it is hereby repealed and re-en-
acted, with amendments, to read as follows:

659. Before any operator shall hereafter engage in open-pit min-
ing of bituminous coal within the State, he shall register with the
Bureau of Mines of this State by filing a certificate on a form to be
provided by the Bureau, and giving information sufficient to identify
the operator and the area his operations will affect. Contemporane-
ously with and as a part of said registration, the operator shall file
with the Bureau of Mines a bond on a form to be prescribed and
furnished by the Bureau, payable to the State and conditioned that
the operator shall faithfully perform all of the requirements of this
sub-heading. The bond shall be in the amount of three hundred
dollars ($300.00) per acre, except in Garrett County and in Allegany
County where the amount of the bond shall be five hundred dollars
($500.00) per acre, based upon the number of acres of coal which
the operator estimates will be stripped by open-pit mining, provided,
that no bond shall be for less than one thousand two hundred dollars
($1,200.00), except in Garrett County and in Allegany County where
the bond shall be for not less than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00).
No operator shall be permitted to strip any area in this State by