Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1910-04-22


of the Code of Virginia. Such oyster
inspector shall thereupon grant license
to use such net, or other device, and
state IN such license the name or names
OF the person or persons who shall use
the same, the place at which it is to be
located or used. the season for which
said license is granted, which season
shall begin on the first day of February
in any year, and end on the thirty-frst
day Of January of the year following,
and the amount of tax as is hereinafter
provided: provided, however, that it
shall be lawful for a resident of this
State, except such persons, firms or
corporations as may be engaged in the
taking or catching of fish for the pur-
pose Of manufacturing the same into
oil. fish scrap or manure, to employ any
vessel or net owned within or without
this State for the purpose of taking and
catching fish: provided, that nothing in
this act shall be construed to permit
fishing in rivers or other waters pro-
hibited by law, and in seasons prohibited
by law. For granting such license the
oyster inspector shall receive fee of
fifty cents for each net licensed, except
that where the license tax is ten dollars
or more the Inspector shall receive fee
of one dollar for each license granted.
(2) Every such resident who shall
apply for such license to catch or take
fish from the waters of the Common
wealth, or the waters within the juris-
diction of the Commonwealth, in addi-
to the fee aforesaid, shall pay to the
oyster Inspector of such district a speci-
fic license tax, which shall be in lieu of
all taxes levied upon such persons for
taking and catching fish, or for selling
the products thereof, as follows: On
each sail vessel fishing with purse net
OF not more than four hundred meshes
deep. five dollars; on each sail vessel
fishing with purse net, of more than
four hundred meshes deep, twenty-five
dollars: on each steam vessel fishing
with purse net. one hundred dollars;
on each pound net. three dollars; on
each stake net or gill net of six hund-
red feet in length and under, one dollar,
and for every additional one hundred
feet or fraction thereof. twenty-five
cents; on each thresh net, or skirt net
or similar device, one dollar: on each
fyke net head. weir, or similarly fixed
device. one dollar; on each haul seine
hauled by hand for market or profit.
three dollars; on each drift haul net,
attended by a sail or motor boat, other
than steam boat, twenty dollars. but
no steam boat shall be allowed to fish
such net; on each haul seine hauled by
windlass, horse or mule power, or other
power than hand or steam, twenty dol
lars; on each haul seine operated by
steam power, fifty dollars; on each
sturgeon gill net or trammel net, three
dollars; on each sturgeon sweep net or
haul seine, twenty-five dollars; for
every person catching blue fish by hand
for market or profit, two dollars, but no
net of any kind shall be used for catch
ing blue fish.
(S II any person shall use, or set or
cause to be used or set, any such net or
seine as aforesaid, in any of the waters
Of this Commonwealth or waters within
the jurisdiction of this Commonwealth,
without having first paid the tax and
obtained the license provided for in this
act, he shall be deemed guilty of vio-
lation of the provisions thereof, and
shall, for such violation, in addition to
the penalties hereinafter provided in
this act. forfeit such net and other fish
ing devices. 1t shall be the duty of the
Inspector to report such violation to the
commission of fisheries, whereupon said
commission shall cause some one of the
commanders of the oyster police boats,
or vessels. to take any such net or seine,
as aforesaid, and sell the same at public
auction, or otherwise. upon ten days ad-
vertisement: provided, that no such sale
shall be made till after twenty days
from the time when such property was
taken. If any oyster Inspector know
ingly fail to report violations of this
act or to perform any of the duties here
in required Of him, he shall, for every
such offense, forfeit one hundred dollars.
The money collected for license taxes
and from the sale of such fishing devices
and boats and forfeitures from such in
spectors for violation of their duties
under this act shall be applied to the
support of the government. but to be
accounted for in the general oyster fund
Of the State; and the commissioner ot
fisheries shall make a separate report
of the subjects in this act and the reve
nue. derived therefrom, respectively.
(Q Every person, firm or corporation
sailing or buying herring or packing
fish roe for market or profit shall pay
license tax of five dollars and fee O
fifty cents to the inspector for issuin,
such license, provided no tax shall b
required of any fisherman for the priv
lege of packing or shipping roe from
sturgeon caught by such fisherman.
(5) 1t shall be unlawful for any per
son to use haul seine or a pound ne
head or pocket having a smaller mes
than two inches, stretched measure, fo
the purpose of catching food fish.
(6l 1t shall be unlawful to take
catch or have in possession any sturgeo
less than four feet in length; or an
sheepshead, porgie or sunfish less tha
ten inches in length; or any rock fish @
less than eight inches in length; or an
spot less than five inches in length; a
measurements to be from nose to tip g
tail. Any such fish caught hv anv ne,