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 Oyster law 
 
 OR LOUISIANA. 
 
 Act 52 of 1904. 
 
 ISSUED BY T 
 
 OYSTER COMMISSION OF 
 LOUISIANA. 
 
 No. 124 St. Charles Street, NEW ORLEANS, LA. 
 
 Address all communications to 
 
 OYSTER COMMISSION OF LOUISIANA, 
 
 124 St. Charles Street, New Orleans, La. 
 
 

 
 f. 
 
 

 ACT No. 52. 
 
 AN ACT 
 
 To encourage, protect, regulate and develop the oyster industry 
 of the State of Louisiana, and to increase the revenues of the 
 State therefrom ; by recognizing and declaring the ownership 
 of the State in and to the bottom or beds of the bodies or 
 streams of water along the Coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and 
 the waters of the Gulf of Mexico within the jurisdiction of 
 the State of Louisiana ; by prohibiting their alienation in 
 fee simple ; by recognizing and declaring the ownership of the 
 State in and to all oysters growing naturally thereon ; by limit- 
 ing the rights of riparian proprietors to low water mark ; by 
 creating the Oyster Commission of Louisiana, providing for 
 its organization and defining its powers and duties; by consti- 
 tuting said Commission a department of the State government 
 and a political corporation invested with all necessary corpor- 
 ate powers ; by providing for the leasing of oyster lands be- 
 longing to the State ; by providing for the licensing, regis- 
 tration and designation of vessels employed in the oyster in- 
 dustry ; by levying a special assessment or privilege tax on 
 oysters produced in Louisiana waters and a police license 
 on persons, firms, corporations and vessels engaged in the 
 oyster industry ; by providing for the manner of collecting, 
 handling, depositing and disbursing the revenues of said 
 Commission and the destination of its surplus revenues ; by 
 providing for the protection of the natural oyster reefs of this 
 State and for the creation of artificial reefs ; by providing 
 such other regulations as are necessary to properly carry out 
 the objects and purposes of this Act; by providing penalties 
 for the violation of the provisions of this Act, and the rules 
 and 1 egulations of the Commission ; and by providing" for the 
 repeal of all laws on the same subject matter, and those in 
 conflict with the provisions of this Act. 
 
 Section i. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State 
 of Louisiana, That all the beds and bottoms of the rivers, bayous, 
 lagoons, lakes, bays, sounds and inlets bordering on or connecting 
 with the Gulf of Mexico, and all that part of the Gulf of Mexico 
 within the jurisdiction of the State of Louisiana, and all oysters 
 and other shell fish naturally growing thereon shall be, continue 
 and remain the property of the State of Louisiana, and shall be 
 under the control of the Oyster Commission of Louisiana, here- 
 inafter created, which said Commission may permit of its use 
 bv residents of. the State of Louisiana, firms composed of res- 
 idents of Louisiana, and Louisiana corporations, for the purpose 
 of fishing, taking, catching, bedding and raising oysters and 
 other shell fish, subject to the reservations and restrictions here- 
 
 727654 
 
- 2 — 
 
 inafter to be imposed by this act, or hereafter to be imposed by 
 said Oyster Commission of Louisiana. No grant, sale or convey- 
 ance of the lands forming- the bottoms or beds of said bodies 
 or streams of water, except the conditional leases and disposi- 
 tions hereinafter provided for, shall hereafter be made by the 
 Register of the State Land Office or by any other official, polit- 
 ical corporation or person. Corporations domiciled in this State, 
 with their factories, shucking plants, and shipping depots located 
 in this State, may enjoy the right of fishing oysters from the 
 natural reefs and of bedding oysters on leased bedding grounds, 
 provided such oysters are canned, shucked or packed in this 
 .State, or shipped raw, in shells, from a shipping depot in this 
 State for consumption either in or out of this State; but no 
 person, firm or corporation shall ship oysters out of this State 
 for canning or packing out of this State; as it is the desire of 
 the State to encourage the planting of shells on barren bottoms 
 in this State, no oysters in the shell shall be shipped out of this 
 State without first getting from the Oyster Commission of Louis- 
 iana its permit so to do, and for which no charge shall be made 
 by said Commission. Those engaged in the oyster industry 
 under the provisions of this act shall have the right to employ 
 such labor and assistance, boats and vessels as they may need, 
 whether residents or non-residents. 
 
 Sec. 2. Be it further enacted , etc., That the rights of the 
 owner or occupant of land bordering on the shores of any of the 
 waters hereinbefore described shall extend to ordinary low water 
 mark only, and no one shall own in fee simple the bottoms of 
 navigable waters. All leases of bedding grounds made in pur- 
 suance of the provisions of Act no of 1892, or Act 121 of 1896, 
 and Act 153 of 1902, shall continue in force and effect up to 
 their expiration, provided such leases shall pay to the Oyster 
 Commission the rental provided for by this act, and subject 
 themselves to such further regulations as said Commission may 
 impose. All owners of existing leases shall have the first 
 right to renewal of their leases on such conditions as are herein 
 provided or may hereafter be provided by the Oyster Commis- 
 sion of Louisiana. 
 
 Sec. 3 Be it further enacted, etc., That the Governor shall 
 appoint, by and with the consent of the Senate five competent 
 persons from among the qualified voters of this State, which said 
 five (5) persons, as commissioners, shall form and constitute the 
 “Oyster Commission of Louisiana, ” which said Commission is 
 hereby created. Said Commissioners shall not be financially in- 
 terested in any way in the oyster industry, and shall hold their 
 offices for a period of Four years, and until their successors are 
 
— 3 — 
 
 appointed and qualified. Said Commission shall be and is here- 
 by vested with full and complete power and authority, on behalf 
 of the State of Louisiana, to control the oyster producing terri- 
 tory of, and the oyster industry carried on in this State, except 
 to such extent as its powers and discretion shall be limited by 
 the provisions of this act, and subsequent amendments of this 
 act by the State Legislature; and to enforce such rules and regu- 
 lations as it may adopt, penalties are imposed for the violations 
 of its rules, and such penalties shall be an imprisonment of not 
 less than one (i) day and not more than thirty (30) days in 
 the parish prison, or a fine of not less than five dollars ($5.00) 
 nor more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00), or both, within the 
 discretion of the Court; and when adopted, such rules and regu- 
 lations shall have the same force and effect as provisions of this 
 act ; provided said rules and regulations are not in conflict with the 
 provisions of this act. Said Commissioners shall be removable 
 by the Governor for cause, as is now provided by law. 
 
 The Commission shall permit no salaried officers or employees 
 to be interested in the oyster industry, or to be in the employ of 
 any person, firm or corporation engaged in the oyster business, 
 under the penalty of forfeiture of all rights sought to be ac- 
 quired by said salaried officers or employees. 
 
 Sec* 4. Be it further enacted , etc., That the said Commission 
 shall, in addition to the powers herein conferred, be constituted, 
 as a Department of the State Government for the purpose of 
 management of the State’s oyster fields and water bottoms, a 
 body politic or political corporation invested with all the powers 
 inherent in such corporations ; it shall have the authority to sue 
 and be sued under the style ‘‘Oyster Commission of Louisiana,” 
 and all process against said corporation shall be served on the 
 President or Secretary of said Commission, and all suits in its 
 behalf shall be brought by its President. The domicile of said 
 Commission is hereby fixed in the City of New Orleans, where 
 an office shall be established for the holding of its sessions, and 
 where its archives shall be kept, and services of process shall be 
 made upon the President or Secretary of the Commission in 
 person. Said Commission shall have authority to buy, sell, 
 hold, lease and hypothecate property, real, personal and mixed ; 
 to make and execute all contracts, and generally to do and per- 
 form all things necessary to carry out the objects of this act, 
 subject to all limitations and duties herein provided. It shall 
 have a corporate seal and copies of all regulations of said Com- 
 mission and copies of its proceedings, or leases, papers and other 
 records certified by the Secretary, under the corporate seal, shall 
 he received in all courts as prima facie evidence of the acts, doc- 
 
— 4 — 
 
 uments, records and proceedings of said Commission. Said Com- 
 mission shall adopt by-laws for its own government and the gov- 
 ernment of its employees ; it shall adopt rules and regulations for a 
 comprehensive control of the oyster industry. Any person in inter- 
 est who feels aggrieved by any such rule or regulation shall have 
 the right to test the legality, justice or reasonableness of same 
 in the courts. It shall keep a record of its proceedings, which 
 shall be published after each meeting in a journal published 
 daily in the City of New Orleans, to be selected by it, and its 
 regulations and ordinances shall go into effect ten days after pro- 
 mulgation. It shall be the ' duty of the Commission, at each 
 regular session, to examine all accounts and operations of the 
 Commission, and determine what work shall be undertaken. It 
 shall improve, enlarge and protect the natural oyster reefs of this 
 State as its means permit ; said Commission shall assist in pro- 
 tecting the lessees of private bedding grounds in the enjoyment 
 of their rights, and it shall make to each session of the General 
 Assembly a report of the condition of the oyster industry, and the 
 oyster territory belonging to the State and recommendations for 
 the development of the industry and the proper protection of 
 the rights of the State. 
 
 Sec. 5. Be it further enacted , etc., That the Commissioners 
 shall convene and hold their first meeting in the City of New 
 Orleans on the 2nd day of January, 1905 ; and the Commis- 
 sioners appointed under the provisions of Act 153 of 1902 shall 
 continue in office and discharge all of the duties imposed by this 
 act upon the Commissioners until said day. A majority of said 
 Commissioners shall constitute a quorum to do business ; they 
 shall organize by electing one of their number President. They 
 shall appoint a Secretary, who shall hold office during the pleas- 
 ure of the Commission and whose salary shall not exceed the 
 sum of twelve hundred dollars ($1,200.00 per) annum, and who 
 shall devote his time exclusively to the work of said Commis- 
 sion, and whose office shall be open to the public daily from 9 
 A. M. to 5 P. M. Said Commission shall designate the time of 
 holding its regular sessions, and may be convened at any time 
 upon the call of its President or upon a call of two of the Com- 
 missioners. In case of the death or resignation of the President, 
 the Secretary shall call the Commission together to fill the vacancy, 
 and in case of the absence, inability or failure to act of the Presi- 
 dent, the Commission shall appoint one of its number President 
 pro tern., who shall perform all the duties of the President. In 
 case of neglect of duty by any Commissioner, or his failure, 
 without good cause, to attend regular meetings for three times suc- 
 cessively, it shall be the duty of the Governor, on the request of 
 
— 5 — 
 
 the Commission, or any person making proof of such neglect, to 
 remove such Commissioner and appoint his successor for the un- 
 expired term. The Commissioners shall each receive a salary of 
 ten dollars ($10) per diem, and actual traveling expenses, when in 
 actual attendance on, coming to, or returning from, the sessions 
 of said Commission, which amount shall be paid out of the funds 
 of the Commission on the warrant of the President, signed by 
 the Secretary; but in no year shall the aggregate sum expended 
 by the Commission for per diem and traveling expenses together 
 exceed the sum of twenty-five hundred dollars ($2,500). The 
 President shall receive a salary of one thousand dollars ($1,000) 
 per annum in addition to his per diem and traveling expenses, and 
 this shall not be charged against the twenty-five hundred dollars 
 ($2,500.00; provided for per diem and traveling expenses here- 
 inabove set forth. In addition to the sum of twenty-five hundred 
 dollars ($2,500.00) provided for herein for per diem and traveling 
 expenses of the Commissioners at meetings, the Commission shall 
 be further authorized to expend a sum not exceeding five hundred 
 dollars ($500.00) annually in defraying the traveling expenses of 
 members of the Commission, when engaged on business of the 
 Commission, authorized by the Commission. 
 
 Sec. 6. Be it further enacted , etc., That the said Commission 
 shall have authority to employ an attorney at a salary not to ex- 
 ceed twelve hundred dollars ($1,200.00) per annum; that it shall 
 elect a Chief Inspector at a salary of one thousand dollars ($1,000) 
 per annum and who may, in addition, receive such a percentage 
 of the license fees, tax and rents collected as the Commission may 
 determine ; provided his total annual compensation shall not exceed 
 the sum of two thousand dollars ($2,000). Said Commission may 
 elect a Civil Engineer and Surveyor to be known as the Chief 
 Surveyor, whose compensation to be fixed by the Commissioners 
 annually shall not exceed two thousand five hundred dollar 5 ; 
 ($2,500) per annum, and whose service shall be devoted exclu- 
 sively to the work of the Commission. The Commissioners shall 
 appoint such deputy surveyors as may be necessary, which said 
 deputies shall survey the bedding grounds of applicants, and 
 shall receive for such service, such compensation, payable by the 
 applicant, as the Commission may determine. Said Commission 
 shall have authority to employ such Deputy Inspectors, Collectors, 
 Patrolmen and other employees, at salaries to be fixed by said 
 Commission, as may be necessary to regulate the oyster industry 
 and carry into effect the provisions of this act and the rules and 
 regulations of the Commission. All employees and officers of the 
 Commission may be removed by the Commission at any time and 
 may be suspended by the President for cause pending a meeting 
 of the said Commission. 
 
Sec. 7. Be it further enacted , etc., That all funds of said Com- 
 mission shall be deposited with the State Treasurer to the credit 
 of the “Oyster Commission of Louisiana/’ and all warrants drawn 
 thereon by the President, attested by the Secretary, and seal of 
 said Commission, shall specify the indebtedness said warrants 
 are intended to liquidate, in whole or part, and said funds shall not 
 be drawn from the treasury except on the warrant of the State 
 Auditor of Public Accounts which he shall issue in exchange for 
 the warrants of said Commission. The Commission shall on the 
 first day of July of each and every year draw its warrant in favor 
 of the State Treasurer for such surplus of funds as the books of 
 said Commission show to exist after providing for the payment of 
 all obligations incurred to said date. The said Commission in de- 
 termining its outstanding obligations as herein provided shall 
 reimburse each parish of this State for such criminal expenses as 
 such parishes may incur in the criminal prosecution and confine- 
 ment of violators of the provisions of this law and the rules and 
 regulations of the Commission, said amount to be based upon the 
 certificate of the District Judge. The said surplus shall annually 
 be credited by the State Treasurer and State Auditor, one-half to 
 the public school fund, and one-half to a fund for the pur- 
 pose of improving the public roads of the State. The fiscal year 
 of said Commission shall begin July first and end June thirtieth. 
 The Auditor shall not in any fiscal year warrant on said funds for 
 more than thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000) and all funds in 
 excess of thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000) shall be credited 
 to the school and road fund as heretofore provided, and the sum of 
 thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000) for the fiscal year ending 
 June 30, 1905, and thirty-five thousand dollars ($35,000) for the 
 fiscal year ending June 30, 1906, or as much thereof as may be nec- 
 essary be and the same is hereby appropriated out of said oyster 
 fund, to be subject to the warrant of the Oyster Commission as 
 herein set forth, provided the said funds shall have first been col- 
 lected by the said Oyster Commission under the provisions of this 
 act and placed to its credit with the State Auditor and Treasurer. 
 The funds arising from all licenses, rents and other sources, except 
 the three (3) cent privilege tax, shall be collected by, and paid to 
 the Secretary of said Commission under such rules and regulations 
 as said Commission may prescribe, and the Secretary shall deposit 
 the same daily to the credit of said Commission in a bank in the 
 City of New Orleans selected by the Commission, and the Com- 
 mission shall remit the same monthly to the State Treasurer and 
 settle with the State Auditor at least monthly. 
 
 All privilege taxes, as hereinafter levied, shall be collected by 
 the Tax Collectors, Sheriffs and ex-officio Tax Collectors of the 
 several parishes of the State where such taxes are collectable under 
 the regulations of the Commission and said Tax Collectors, Sheriffs 
 
and ex-officio Tax Collectors shall deposit their collections and 
 make their settlements of same monthly with the State Treasurer 
 and State Auditor, and all amounts so collected shall be placed 
 to the credit of the fund of said “Oyster Commission of Louis- 
 iana” by the State Auditor and the State Treasurer, who shall 
 pay the warrants of the Commission out of the funds to the 
 credit of said Commission. Such privilege taxes shall be col- 
 lected under the rules and regulations to be established by said 
 Commission. 
 
 No railroad, steamboat or other common carrier shall receive 
 any oysters subject to the privilege tax herein prvided for and on 
 which the privilege tax has not been paid, without entering the tax 
 on the bill of lading and collecting the same ; and it shall be their 
 duty to remit the amount of tax collected to the tax collector of 
 the parish from which the produce was shipped. Any common 
 carrier failing to collect said privilege tax as herein provided, and 
 failing to remit the same monthly to the Tax Collector as herein 
 provided shall be deemed guilty of a violation of the provisions 
 of this act. 
 
 Bonds for the faithful performance of their duties shall be 
 . furnished by the several officials of said Commission as follows : 
 President in the sum of twenty-five hundred dollars ($2,500). 
 Secretary, in the sum of twenty-five hundred dollars ($2,500). 
 Chief Inspector, in the sum of fifteen hundred dollars ($1,500). 
 Chief Surveyor, in the sum of one thousand dollars ($1,000). 
 Deputy Inspectors and Surveyors, in the sum of one thousand 
 dollars ($1,000) each, and the said Commission shall have the 
 right to increase the amount of any of said bonds whenever it 
 deems it advisable and may pay the cost of the premium of said 
 bonds. No one interested in the oyster industry shall be a com- 
 petent surety on said bonds. 
 
 Sec. 8. Be it further enacted, etc-, That the said Commission 
 shall acquire such boats, vessels and other property as may be 
 necessary to regulate and control the oyster industry, and as soon 
 as the funds become available for the purpose, said Commission 
 shall establish and maintain, by means of armed vessels, the neces- 
 sary patrol of the Gulf Coast with authority to use such arms as 
 may be necessary to capture any vessel or person violating the 
 provisions of this act, or the rules and regulations of said Com- 
 mission. All the property now owned by the Oyster Commission 
 of Louisiana organized under Act 153 of 1902, shall revert to and 
 become the property of the Oyster Commission of Louisiana, or- 
 ganized under the provisions of this act. The said Commission 
 shall have the power to establish ports of entry at such points as 
 it may deem convenient, where the privilege taxes hereinafter 
 levied on oysters shall be paid, and shall have the power to make 
 
— 8 — 
 
 such rules and regulations as may be necessary to enforce the 
 collection of the privilege taxes hereinafter levied on the oysters 
 subject thereto. 
 
 Each packer, canner, corporation, firm, commission man or 
 daeler shall keep a record of all the oysters purchased by him, 
 with the names of the parties from whom purchased, the quan- 
 tity and the date, and shall keep an itemized account of all oys- 
 ters caught by such packer, corporation, firm, dealer or other 
 person, and all caught and taken by boats controlled by them, 
 and shall exhibit said accounts at all times, when called upon by 
 any Commissioner or officer so to do ; and shall on the first day of 
 each month make a return under oath to the said Commission as 
 to the number of barrels purchased and caught during the pre- 
 ceding month ; and the making of any false affidavit to any re- 
 turn shall be perjury and punishable as is provided in other 
 cases of perjury. The Commission shall be authorized to require 
 detailed returns whenever it deems same necessary. 
 
 Sec. 9. Be it further enacted , etc ., That for the purpose of 
 improving the natural oyster reefs and protecting both the nat- 
 ural reefs and private bedding grounds and to carry out the 
 purposes of this act, and as one of the conditions on which the 
 State consents to the fishing or removal of oysters from her 
 natural reefs, and the use or rental of her water bottoms for oys- 
 ter propagating purposes, there be and is hereby levied a special 
 assessment, forced contribution or privilege tax of three (3) cents 
 per barrel on each and every barrel of oysters gathered from the 
 waters of this State, whether from the natural reefs, bedding 
 or propagating grounds, for sale or consumption. 
 
 Oysters taken from any waters for bedding purposes shall not 
 pay this tax until again taken up for consumption or sale. The 
 Inspectors of said Commission are authorized to enter upon any 
 boat, or to enter any building where oysters are carried or stored 
 and to examine such oysters at all times. No person, firm or 
 corporation shall engage in the business of canning oysters in this 
 State, until they shall first have procured from the “Oyster Com- 
 mission of Louisiana” an annual police license for which a charge 
 of one hundred dollars ($100) shall be made by said Commission 
 for each steam box in use in such establishment ; and no person 
 firm, or corporation shall engage in the business of buying tor 
 resale and shipping oysters raw in shells, or packed, until they 
 shall first have procured from said Commission an annual po- 
 lice license, for which a charge of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) 
 shall be made by said Commission when ten or more shuckers 
 shall be employed in such establishment. When less than ten 
 and more than five shuckers are employed, the police license shall 
 be fifteen dollars ($15.00) per annum; when five or less shuckers 
 
are employed, the police license shall be ten dollars ($10.00) per 
 annum ; and when no shuckers are employed, and oysters are han- 
 dled only in the shell, tl)e police license shall be ten dollars 
 ($10.00) per annum, when not more than ten thousand barrels of 
 oysters are bought, shipped and sold per annum ; fifteen dollars 
 ($15) per annum, where more than ten thousand, and less than 
 fifteen thousand barrels of oysters are bought, shipped and sold 
 per annum ; and twenty dollars ($20) per annum where more than 
 fifteen and less than twenty thousand barrels are bought, shipped 
 and sold per annum ; and when the number of barrels of oysters 
 bought, shipped and sold per annum shall exceed twenty thou- 
 sand, the license shall be twenty-five dollars ($25) per annum. 
 
 No person, firm or corporation shall begin business without 
 first procuring at least the minimum license. At the end of the 
 year the sworn returns, herein provided for, of oysters bought, 
 shipped and sold by each licensee shall be computed, and such li- 
 censee shall pay any additional licenses shown to be due by him 
 thereby. Vessels purchasing for resale oysters to make up a 
 cargo shall procure a police license permitting the conduct of such 
 business which shall be graded upon the tonnage of the boat em- 
 ployed, on the following basis, to-wit : 
 
 Where the boat does not exceed five tons, the police license 
 shall be ten ($10) dollars per annum ; where the tonnage is more 
 than five and not exceeding ten tons, the license shall be fifteen 
 ($15) dollars per annum; where the tonnage exceeds ten tons, 
 the police license shall be twenty ($20) dollars per annum, and 
 every such licensed vessel ‘shall carry on board a suitable book 
 in which a daily record shall be made of all oysters purchased, 
 and giving the date of purchase, the name of the seller or vessel 
 from which purchased and the quantity of oysters purchased, 
 which said record shall at all times be open to the inspection of 
 the officials of said Commission and extracts therefrom shall be 
 furnished said Commission whenever required. 
 
 All vessels engaged in the oyster industry, before beginning 
 operations must first secure a polcie license from the said Com- 
 mission, and for this purpose the owner, captain or agent of said 
 vessel must present in writing an application setting forth the 
 name and description of said vessel, the name and post office ad- 
 dress of the owner and captain, the number of the crew, and 
 such further data as said Commission shall deem necessary, and 
 thereupon the secretary shall register said vessel and issue the 
 necessary license on payment of the cost thereof. All licenses 
 shall be graduated according to the oyster carrying capacity of 
 each boat or vessel, and shall be ascertained under the rules and 
 regulations to be prescribed by the Commission, on the basis of 
 
— 10 — 
 
 twenty (20) barrels to a ton; and all vessels or boats are re- 
 quired to submit to the necessary survey for their licenses; and 
 a police license tax of fifty (50) cents per ton, or a fraction of a 
 ton, is hereby levied on each vessel or boat engaged in the oyster 
 industry in this State, when of one (1) ton or more capacity. 
 Payment of this police license and a compliance with the provi- 
 sions of the regulations shall be required of all vessels deter- 
 mined by the Commission to be engaged in the freighting of 
 oysters as their exclusive cargo, when in the opinion of the 
 Commission police inspection of their cargo is necessary. 
 
 No boat or vessel engaged in the oyster industry shall change 
 its name without the consent of the Commission. 
 
 These licenses shall always be subject to inspection by the 
 officers of the Commission, and shall not be good for any other 
 vessel or owner than that for which issued, without the consent 
 of the Commission written across the face of the license. Li- 
 censes shall be issued by the secretary of the . Commission on 
 license blanks, which shall be furnished by the State Auditor. 
 The license year for all licenses shall begin September 1st of one 
 year and end August 31st of the next year. Any person, firm, 
 corporation, or vessel commencing operations without previously 
 securing the required license shall be guilty of a violation of this 
 act. The licenses provided by this section being police licenses 
 exacted by the State in the control of her own property, and in 
 the protection of the oyster property of others, over which a 
 police control is necessary, no parish or municipality shall impose 
 any licenses under the authority of this act. 
 
 •Sec. 10. Be it further enacted, etc., That the said Commission 
 shall have power to lease any water bottoms in the State of Lou- 
 isiana, as described in Section 1 of this act, and desirable for 
 purposes of bedding, planting and cultivating or propagating 
 oysters. No natural oyster reefs shall be leased. These leases 
 can only be made to citizens of Louisiana, Louisiana firms, com- 
 posed of citizens of Louisiana, and Louisiana corporations 
 domiciled in this State. No one person or corporation 
 shall hold or own stock in several oyster corporations leasing 
 oyster bottoms where the aggregate value of said stock, in addi- 
 tion to their own holdings, would exceed the maximum value of 
 a corporation organized to develop and own a one thousand 
 (1,000) acre farm and its necessary equipments, factory, work- 
 ing capital, etc. All others are forbidden to hold these leases 
 either as original lessees, or as heirs, assigns or transferrees, 
 whether such assignment or transfer be conventional or judicial, 
 voluntary or forced. 
 
 Sec. it. Be it further enacted, etc.. That any qualified per- 
 son, firm or corporation desiring to lease a part of the bottom or 
 
— II 
 
 bed of any of the waters of this State as provided for above, 
 shall present to the Commission a written application setting 
 forth the name and address of the applicant, a reasonably definite 
 description of the location and amount of the land covered by 
 water desired, and shall pray that the application be registered 
 that the water bottoms be surveyed, and a plan or map of survey 
 thereof be made, and that the water bottom described be leased 
 to the applicant under the provisions of this act. Thereupon 
 the Commission shall register said application and shall order the 
 survey and plan made forthwith at the expense of the applicant. 
 When applications are made, by two or more persons for the 
 same lands, they shall be leased to the applicant who first filed 
 application for same. The Commission shall require the bodies 
 of land leased to be as compact as possible, taking into consider- 
 ation the shape of the body of water and the condition of the 
 bottom as to hardness or soft mud which would render them de- 
 sirable or undesirable for the purposes of oyster cultivation. 
 
 Sec. 12. Be- it further enacted , etc., That as soon as the sur- 
 vey shall have been made, and the plan or map thereof shall have 
 been filed with the Commission, and the cost thereof paid by the 
 applicant, the Commission shall execute, in duplicate, a lease of 
 the water bottoms to the applicant; one duplicate to be delivered 
 to him, and the other with the plan of survey to be retained by 
 the Commission, and registered in a Lease Book which shall be 
 kept, and thereafter such lessee shall enjoy the exclusive use of 
 said lands, and all oysters, shells and cultch grown or placed 
 thereon shall be his exclusive property. The Commission shall 
 require the lessee to stake off and mark the water bottom leased, 
 by such ranges, monuments, stakes, buoys, etc., as it may deem 
 necessary to ascertain and locate the same, to the end that the 
 location and limits of the land embraced in such lease may be 
 easily and accurately found and fixed. Failure on the part of the 
 lessee to comply with the order of the Commission to this effect 
 within the time fixed by it shall subject such lessee in the discre- 
 tion of the Commission to a fine not exceeding five dollars ($5) 
 per acre. All lessees shall cause the area of the leased water 
 bottom and the name of the lessee to be shown by signs as may be 
 determined by the Commission. 
 
 Sec. 13. Be it further enacted, etc., That all leases made un- 
 der the provisions of Section 12, shall begin on the day that the 
 lease is signed, and shall expire on the first day of October in the 
 fifteenth year thereafter. The rent shall be one dollar ($1.00) 
 per acre or any fraction of an acre per annum. This rent shall 
 be paid in advance at the time of signing the lease, up to the first 
 day of October next folio wing, and annually thereafter, in ad- 
 
— 12 - 
 
 vance on or before the first day of October in each year, until the 
 expiration of the original lease, whether held by the original 
 lessee, or by an heir, assign or transferree. No person, firm or 
 corporation shall lease, hold or control more than one thousand 
 (1,000) acres of these water lands and any person, firm or cor- 
 poration which holds or controls, or seeks or attempts to hold or 
 control by partnership or otherwise more than this amount by 
 any scheme, agreement, understanding or combination whatso- 
 ever. shall forfeit all lease held by him or it. The Commission 
 shail have power to make such other stipulations in the leases, as 
 it shall deem necessary or proper. No taxes, assessments or li- 
 censes, other than those imposed by this act shall be levied or im- 
 posed on said leases or said leased lands, but the annual rental 
 exacted and paid shall be held and considered all that can or 
 should be exacted by the State or any of its subordinate political 
 corporations or municipalities. Each tenant leasing water bot- 
 toms under the provisions of this act, shall after five years from 
 the commencement of his lease, place under cultivation yearly at 
 least one-tenth of the water bottoms leased still remaining uncul- 
 tivated. 
 
 Sec. 14. Be it further enacted , etc ., That said leases shall be 
 heritable and shall be transferable, in whole or in part, provided 
 the heirs or transferrees be residents of this State or firm» com- 
 posed of residents of this State, or Louisiana corporations domi- 
 ciled in this State. Non-residents of this State acquiring by in- 
 heritance or at forced sale, or persons already holding one thou- 
 sand (1,000) acres, shall be permitted to hold for twelve months, 
 at the end of which time, under penalty of forfeiture, they shall 
 sell to some qualified person, firm or corporation of this State 
 such bedding or propagating grounds as may be so acquired by 
 them. These leases shall also be subject to mortgage, pledge or 
 hypothecation, and shall be subject to seizure and sale for debt, 
 as any other property, rights and credits in this State, and this 
 provision shall also apply to all buildings, betterments and im- 
 provements thereon. No such inheritance or transfer shall be 
 valid or of any force or effect whatever, unless evidenced by an 
 authentic act, judgment or proper judicial deed, registered in the 
 office of the Commission in a book to be provided for said pur- 
 pose. The Commission shall keep proper indexes, so that all 
 original leases and all subsequent changes and transfers can be 
 easily and accurately ascertained. 
 
 The water bottoms around the Biological Station, situated in 
 the Parish of Cameron, near the mouth of the Calcasieu River, 
 shall be reserved for experimental purposes to the following ex- 
 tent, to-wit : — To a distance of a quarter of a mile above the said 
 
- 13 - 
 
 station to the full extent of the river and down the river to the 
 Gulf to the full extent of said river and to a distance of one mile 
 east and west of the mouth of the river, and extending to the full 
 limit in the Gulf. Should it be subsequently found that any of 
 said reserve water area is unnecessary for the experimental pur- 
 poses, and upon notification to that effect by the Director of said 
 Biological Station, said unnecessary area shall be opened to 
 rental. 
 
 Sec. 15. Be it further enacted , etc., That all leases shall stipu- 
 late for the payment of the annual rent in advance, on or before 
 the first day of October in each year, and a further stipulation 
 that the failure of the tenant to pay the rent punctually on or be- 
 fore said day, or within thirty (30) days thereafter, shall ipso 
 facto, and without any demand or putting in default, terminate 
 and cancel said lease and forfeit to the Commission all the works, 
 improvements, betterments and oysters on the said leased water 
 bottoms, and authorize the Commission to at once enter on said 
 water bottoms, and take possession thereof ; and such water bot- 
 toms shall then be open for lease as herein provided; and the 
 Commission shall, ten days thereafter, enter such termination, 
 cancellation and forfeiture on its books, and shall give such pub- 
 lic notice thereof, and of the fact that the water bottoms are open 
 for lease, as it shall deem proper; provided that the Commission 
 may, in its discretion, waive such termination, cancellation and 
 forfeiture when the rent due, with ten (10) per cent, additional, 
 be tendered to it within sixty (60) days after same became due. 
 No leased water bottoms shall be forfeited for non-payment of 
 rent under the provisions of this section, unless there shall pre- 
 viously have been mailed, by the Commission, to the last known 
 address of such tenant according to the books of the Commission, 
 a thirty (30) days’ notice of the maturity of said rental. 
 
 Sec. 16. Be it further enacted, etc., That after the original 
 lease for fifteen years under the provisions of Section 12 shall 
 have expired, said tenant shall have a right to renew said lease 
 under the same terms, conditions and stipulations for a further 
 term of ten (10) years, except that the annual rental shall be 
 two dollars ($2) per acre per annum. At the end of said ten 
 years no permanent works, betterments or improvements shall be 
 removed from said leased land and the lessee holding the land, 
 whether the original tenant, or an heir, . assignee or transferree, 
 shall have a right to a renewal of said lease under such terms, 
 conditions and stipulation as the Commission may determine upon 
 his filing application therefor, ninety days before the expiration 
 of said lease. All rentals shall be payable annually in advance. 
 Should the tenant or lessee be dissatisfied with the terms, condi- 
 tions and stipulations fixed by the Commission, he shall have the 
 
— 14 - 
 
 right to bring his action in the District Court for the Parish in 
 which the leased land, or the greater portion thereof is situated, 
 against the Commission to have said terms, conditions and stipu- 
 lations reviewed, passed upon and made to conform to justice and 
 equity. Both parties shall have a right of appeal from the judg- 
 ment of the District Court to the Supreme Court or to the Court 
 of Appeals, as the value of the subject matter in dispute shall de- 
 termine ; provided, that the renewals provided for in this section 
 and all subsequent renewals shall not be for a shorter period than 
 three years, nor a longer period than ten years. Should the 
 lessee fail to take advantage of the renewals provided for in this 
 section, all the improvements and betterments upon the leased 
 land shall revert to and become the property of the State. 
 
 Sec. 17. Be it further enacted, etc., That should any one, 
 within four months after any original lease is granted, claim that 
 a natural oyster reef exists in the lands leased, he shall address a 
 written petition to the Commission, verified under oath, in which 
 he shall concisely set forth his claim, and state the location and 
 approximate area of the natural reef, and shall pray the Com- 
 mission to cancel the lease of said reef. Each such petition shall 
 be accompanied by a deposit of ten ($10.00) dollars to defray the 
 costs of examining into the matter, and no petition shall be con- 
 sidered unless accompanied by this deposit. Should the Commis- 
 sion determine that the charge is untrue the ten dollars ($10.00) 
 deposit made by the petitioner shall go to defray the expenses ; 
 otherwise the same shall be returned to the petitioner. Should it 
 determine that the said leased area contains a natural reef which 
 should be left open for public fishing, the tenant shall pay all 
 costs, and the said natural reef shall be surveyed, marked and 
 buoyed or staked and the lease thereof cancelled, all at the ex- 
 pense of the lessee. In all cases the lessee must be notified of 
 the charge, and of the time and place of investigation, and be 
 given full reasonable opportunity to be heard. No such petition 
 shall be received and be acted upon unless presented within four 
 months after the date of the lease, and after such time shall have 
 elapsed, the lessee shall be secure against attack on such account. 
 In every case the decision of the Commission shall be subject to 
 appeal or review by the Judge of the District Court of the district 
 within which the alleged natural reef is situated, who shall dis- 
 pose of the matter as rapidly as possible, without the aid of a 
 jury. The decision of the District Judge shall in turn be sub- 
 ject to appeal, as provided by law. 
 
 Sec. 18. Be it further enacted, etc., That the Secretary of the 
 Oyster Commission shall give to each licensed vessel or boat a 
 license number and the captain of said vessel shall at once cause 
 to be painted on each side of the bow of such vessel or boat, in 
 
- 15 - 
 
 figures at least six inches long and of proportionate width, in a 
 color distinct and different from the body color of the hull, and 
 shall also display said number on the peak of the main sail of his 
 vessel, and each figure on said sail shall be at least twenty-two 
 (22) inches long, of proportional width and six (6) inches apart; 
 that any person, firm or corporation staking off the water bot- 
 toms of this State or bedding oysters on the bottom of the wa- 
 ters of this State without previously leasing same from the Com- 
 mission shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall pay a fine of 
 not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00) nor less than 
 twenty-five dollars ($25.00), or shall suffer imprisonment not 
 exceeding six months, nor less than ten days, or both in the dis- 
 cretion .of the Court. 
 
 Sec. 19. Be it further enacted , etc., That hereafter it shall not 
 be lawful for any person, firm or corporation to take or catch 
 oysters on the natural oyster reefs of this State, or to have such 
 oysters in his possession for sale between the first day of May and 
 the first day of September of each year, except from private 
 leased grounds ; but the possession of oysters during said closed 
 season shall be a prima facie violation of this act, and the onus 
 shall be upon the accused to establish that the oysters were from 
 private leased grounds. For the purpose of this act all oysters 
 in possession of any person, firm or corporation in this* State 
 shall be deemed to be oysters fished in Louisiana waters and the 
 onus shall be on the possessor of such oysters to prove that they 
 were fished or gathered beyond the jurisdiction of the State of 
 Louisiana. 
 
 Sec. 20. Be it further enacted, etc., That all oysters taken 
 from natural reefs of this State shall be culled upon their natural 
 reefs as taken, and all oysters which measure less than two and 
 one-half (2^) inches from hinge to mouth and all dead shells 
 shall be immediately replaced and scattered broadcast upon the 
 natural reefs from which they are taken. No captain or person in 
 charge of any vessel, and no canner, packer, commission man, 
 dealer or other person shall have in his possession off the natural 
 reefs, any natural reef oysters not culled according to law. Any 
 excess of over five (5) per centum of dead shells and small 
 oysters in any cargo or lot of oysters shall be considered a viola- 
 tion of this act, and the Inspectors of the Commission are author- 
 ized to cause to be measured up the whole or a part of said cargo 
 or lot of oysters at the expense of such person or vessel, to deter- 
 mine said percentage when found necessary; provided that un- 
 culled oysters in the possession of any canner, shucker or catcher 
 shall be presumed to be natural reef oysters, and the onus shall be 
 upon the accused to prove that they were fished from a private 
 bedding or planting ground. The Commission may permit les- 
 
— 16 — 
 
 sees of oyster bedding grounds located more than six miles from a 
 known natural oyster reef, to fish for bedding purposes from the 
 natural reefs unculled oysters as seed, provided this shall only be 
 done after obtaining from the Commission a permit so to do, and 
 provided no lessee shall fish more than ten barrels of seed oysters 
 per acre of his lease, provided further, that in the event of the de- 
 struction of the oysters on said leased bedding grounds by an un- 
 avoidable accident or natural calamity, and upon due proof of 
 same made to the Commission, said lessee may obtain a similar 
 second supply of seed oysters. 
 
 Sec. 21. Be it further enacted, etc., That hereafter it shall be 
 unlawful to use a dredge, or any means or implement other than 
 hand tongs, in removing oysters from the natural oyster reefs of 
 this State, except in water over fifteen feet deep, or where in the 
 opinion of the Commission, the body of water regardless of its 
 depth is declared to be too open and exposed to be ordinarily 
 fished with hand tongs, in which event the Oyster Commission 
 shall be authorized to issue a license for the use of scrapers or 
 dredges, provided the applicant shall pay an annual police license 
 fee of ten dollars ($10.00) for each dredge or scraper, and shall 
 give bond in favor of the Commission with good security in the 
 sum of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), conditioned that said 
 implement shall not be used on the natural reefs contrary to law, 
 and provided further, that the right of the Commission to declare 
 bodies of water too open and exposed to be fished with hand tongs 
 shall not apply to any water surface within one mile of the shore. 
 Any one operating on the natural reefs a dredge, scraper or simi- 
 lar instrument in fishing oysters, contrary to the provisions of this 
 act, shall, upon conviction, be fined in a sum not exceeding one 
 thousand dollars ($1,000.00) nor less than one hundred dollars 
 ($100.00), or imprisoned with, or without hard labor, not exceed- 
 ing two years, nor less than twenty days, or both in the discretion 
 of the Court. 
 
 Lessees of propagating or bedding grounds shall have the right 
 to use on such bedding grounds any implements or appliances 
 that they may desire. The Commission may require that such 
 lessee may procure a permit from the Commission to use such 
 implements, and the Commission may require of such lessees that 
 they shall furnish a bond in favor of the Commission in the sum 
 of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), that such instruments or ap- 
 pliances shall not be used on the natural oyster reefs contrary to 
 law. When such instruments or appliances are used exclusively 
 on private propagating or bedding grounds no charge shall be 
 made for said permit. 
 
 Sec. 22. Be it further enacted, etc., That any person who shall 
 
—i7— 
 
 wilfully take oysters or shells or cultch bedded or planted by a li- 
 censee under this act, or any oysters deposited by such licensees 
 making up a cargo for market, or who shall wilfully carry or at- 
 tempt to carry same away without permission of the owner there- 
 of, or who shall wilfully remove, break off, destroy or otherwise 
 injure or alter any stakes, bounds, buoys, or other designations of 
 any natural oyster reef, or private bedding or propagating 
 grounds, or who shall wilfully injure, destroy or remove any in- 
 closures, guards or other protections around any oyster beds, or 
 who shall wilfully move any bedding ground stake, any buoy, 
 mark or designation placed by the Oyster Commission, shall be 
 guilty of a violation of the provisions of this act. 
 
 Sec. 23. Be it further enacted, etc., That for the purrpose of 
 carrying into effect the provisions of this act and the rules' and 
 regulations of the' Oyster Commission, commissioners, inspectors, 
 employees of the Oyster Commission, captains and members of the 
 crews of all vessels engaged in the oyster industry are hereby con- 
 stituted peace officers with power to arrest on view, without war- 
 rant, any one violating the provisions of the law or the rules and 
 regulations of the Commission ; and it shall be the duty of such 
 captains or crews to lend their assistance and the assistance of 
 their vessels to any Inspector of the Commission in making ar- 
 rests. The Oyster Commission shall, as soon as possible, have 
 copies of this act printed for free distribution. It shall publish in 
 its official journal its rules and regulations from time to time as 
 they are adopted, and shall annually publish its rules and regula- 
 tions in pamphlet form for free distribution, and shall make 
 an annual report to the Governor of the operations of said Com- 
 mission. 
 
 Sec. 24. Be it further enacted, etc., That the Oyster Commis- 
 sion herein constituted shall be authorized to settle all disputes as 
 to boundaries between lessees of bedding grounds, the proceedings 
 to be conducted under such rules and regulations as said Commis- 
 sion may prescribe, reserving to each party a right to appeal to the 
 Court. In all the operations of the Commission the standard legal 
 measure, in calculating the quantity of oysters, shall be used. 
 
 Sec. 25. Be it further enacted, etc.. That east of a projected 
 line separating the parishes of Lafourche and Jefferson a natural 
 oyster reef shall be considered and defined as an area containing 
 not less than a continuous area equalling a square acre of the 
 bottom of any water where oysters are found, growing naturally 
 
 the time, and of sufficient quantities to make their fishing profit- 
 able by means of hand tongs. West of said line a natural oyster 
 reef shall be considered and defined as an area equalling not less 
 than ten thousand (10,000) square feet of the bottom of any body 
 of water, where oysters are found growing naturally at the time 
 
— i8— 
 
 and of sufficient quantities to make their fishing profitable by 
 means of hand tongs, provided no break of continuity in any reef 
 of less than twenty-five (25) feet shall be considered. The 
 Oyster Commission, however, shall, in all cases, be the judge as 
 to whether any particular bottom is or is not a natural reef, and 
 where any particular locality shall have been declared open for 
 lease, for oyster bedding or propagating purposes by resolution 
 of the Oyster Commission, the correctness of the Commission’s 
 ruling shall be subject to review by the Judge of the District 
 Court, as hereinbefore provided in Section 19. The Commission 
 may expend not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) per 
 annum in improving and enlarging the natural oyster reefs in this 
 State by depositing and spreading shells, breaking up bunched 
 oysters, and the use of such other means, as said Commission may 
 determine; and the Commission shall have authority, in working 
 and improving said natural reefs, to use hand or power dredges, 
 should it deem it wise to do so, and to experiment with such im- 
 plements as may be used or come into use in other States, or be 
 invented in this State. 
 
 Sec. 26. Be it further enacted , etc., That all vessels with their 
 cargoes, violating the provision of this law or the rules and regu- 
 lations of the Commission shall be seized by any one authorized to 
 make arrests under this act, and taken into custody and delivered 
 to the sheriff of the parish in which the seizure is made, and shall 
 be liable to forfeiture on appropriate proceedings being instituted 
 by the Commission, before the District Court of that Parish, and 
 such District Court shall formulate and adopt rules to govern the 
 proceedings in these cases. The cargo shall be at once disposed of 
 by the sheriff for account of whom it may concern. Should the 
 master or any member of the crew of said vessel be found guilty' 
 of using dredges or other instruments in fishing oysters on the 
 natural reefs contrary to law, or fishing oysters on the natural 
 reefs out of season, or unlawfully taking oysters belonging to a 
 lessee, such vessel shall be declared forfeited by the Court and 
 ordered sold, and the proceeds of sale shall be deposited with the 
 State Treasurer to the credit of the Oyster Commission. Pending 
 the proceeding such vessel may be released upon the owner fur- 
 nishing bond with good and solvent security in double the value 
 of the vessel conditioned upon its being returned in good condi- 
 tion to the sheriff to abide the judgment of the Court. Any per- 
 son found guilty of violating this law or the rules and regulations 
 of the Commission shall at once forfeit all licenses that he may 
 have ; any' person found guilty, of wilfully violating the provisions 
 of this law, shall upon conviction, unless otherwise provided here- 
 in, be fined in a sum of not less than fifty dollars ($50.00), nor 
 
more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or imprisoned, with 
 or without hard labor, not less than thirty (30) days nor more 
 than two (2) years, or both, in the discretion of the' Court, after a 
 trial in the District Court in this State. 
 
 Sec. 27. Be it further enacted , etc., That Act No. 153 of 1902, 
 approved July 8th, 1902, and all laws on the same subject matter 
 and all laws in conflict herewith be and they are hereby repealed, 
 and that this act shall take effect from and after its promulgation. 
 
INDEX 
 
 A. PAGE. 
 
 Acreage 12 
 
 Amendments of law 3 
 
 Appeal, from rules and regulations 4 
 
 Application for lease 11 
 
 Appropriation 6 
 
 Armed patrol 7 
 
 Attorney 5 
 
 Auditor, settlement with 6 
 
 B. 
 
 Bedding ground, application for 11 
 
 leasing of 11 
 
 Biological station 12 
 
 Blanks for license 10 
 
 Boats and vessels 7 
 
 Bonds for dredges 16 
 
 “ “ employees 7 
 
 “ “ vessels 18 
 
 Boundary line dispute 17 
 
 Buoys of bedding grounds 8-11 
 
 Buying for resale 9 
 
 By-laws 4 
 
 C. 
 
 Canners, as to privilege tax 8 
 
 “ “ “ license 8 
 
 “ must can in Louisiana 2 
 
 Cargo, sale of 18 
 
 Certified copies, as evidence 3 
 
 Change of name of vessel 10 
 
 Chief inspector 5 
 
 “ surveyor 5 
 
 Closed season 15 
 
 Collection of revenues 6 
 
 Combinations prohibited 12 
 
 Commissioners, appointment.-. 2 
 
 “ appointed under act 153 of 1902 4 
 
 “ duty \ 
 
 “ experiments 18 
 
 foiling to attend meetings 4 
 
 “ monthly settlement 6 
 
 “ per diem 5 
 
 “ powers 3 
 
 “ qualifications 2 
 
 “ removal of 3 
 
 “ right to sue 3 
 
 Common carriers and privilege tax 7 
 
 Complaint, as to natural reefs 14 
 
 Control of Oyster Commission 1 
 
 Corporations’ domicile 2 
 
 Criminal, expenses of parishes 6 
 
 Culling of oysters 15 
 
 Culls, percentage of 15 
 
 Cultivation required 12 
 
INDEX. — Continued. 
 
 D. PAGE. 
 
 Delinquency of rental 13 
 
 Deposit by contestant 14 
 
 “ of collections 6 
 
 Disbursements, yearly 6 
 
 Domicile of Commission 3 
 
 Dredging of oysters 16 
 
 Dredging on private land 16 
 
 E. 
 
 Employees, appointment 5 
 
 “ interest in industry 3 
 
 “ non-residents 2 
 
 Evidence, prima facie 3 
 
 Experiments by Commission 18 
 
 Exportation of oysters 2 
 
 F. 
 
 Failure to attend meetings 4 
 
 First applicant 11 
 
 Fishing on natural reefs 4 
 
 “ “ bedding ground 4 
 
 Forfeiture of lease 13 
 
 “ “ vessel . . 18 
 
 Freighting of oysters..-. 10 
 
 G. 
 
 Graduation of licenses 9-10 
 
 Governor, report to 17 
 
 I. 
 
 Inspection of buildings and vessels 8 
 
 Improvements on bedding grounds 13 
 
 J. 
 
 Judicial review 13-14-17-18 
 
 L. 
 
 Labor, non-resident 2 
 
 “ right to employ 2 
 
 Leases, Acts 110 of 1892, 121 of 1896, 153 of 1902 2 
 
 “ application 11 
 
 “ bedding ground 11 
 
 “ forfeiture 11 
 
 “ manner of making 10 
 
 “ of water bottoms 10 
 
 “ register 11 
 
 “ transfer of 12 
 
 Lessees qualifications 10 
 
 License blanks 10 
 
 “ begins when 10 
 
 by whom collected 6 
 
 “ buyer for resale *8 
 
 “ canners 8 
 
 “ dredgers 16 
 
 “ packers 8 
 
 “ vessel 9 
 
 “ year 10 
 
 Limit of leasehold area 10 
 
 “ “ stock holdings 10 
 
 “ “ taxation 12 
 
 Low water mark 2 
 
INDEX. — Continued. 
 
 M. PAGE. 
 
 Marking of leased lands 11 
 
 Maturity of rental 2 
 
 Measurement of vessels 9 
 
 Minimum license 9 
 
 Minutes, published where 4 
 
 Mortgage of bedding grounds 12 
 
 Municipal, no license 10 
 
 N. 
 
 Name, change of 10 
 
 Natural reefs defined 17-18 
 
 “ “ improvement of 4-18 
 
 “ “ no right to lease 10-13 
 
 “ “ property of state 1 
 
 Notice of rental delinquency 13 
 
 Number on vessel 14 
 
 O. 
 
 Obligation of lessee 12 
 
 Open and exposed waters 16 
 
 Office hours 4 
 
 Official journal 4 
 
 Officers, powers of 16 
 
 Operating without license 10 
 
 Ordinance goes into effect 4 
 
 P. 
 
 Packers 7-8 
 
 “ as to tax 7 
 
 Parishes, criminal expense 6 
 
 “ no right to levy licenses 10 
 
 Patrol boats 7 
 
 Payment of rental 13 
 
 Penalty, failure to stake 11 
 
 “ omitting number 18 
 
 “ removing stakes 17 
 
 “ violating rules 3 
 
 “ violating law 18 
 
 Percentage, small oysters 15 
 
 Per diem 5 
 
 Perjury 8 
 
 Port of entry 7 
 
 Powers of inspectors 8 
 
 President’s salary 5 
 
 pro tern 4 
 
 Preference of first applicant 11 
 
 Prescription 14 
 
 Privilege tax 7-8 
 
 “ by whom collected 6 
 
 Promulgation of rules 4 
 
 Property of state 1 
 
 “ “ commission 7 
 
 Protect natural reefs 4 
 
 Publication of act 17 
 
 “ rules 17 
 
 Q. 
 
 Qualifications of commissioners 2 
 
 “ “ employees 3 
 
INDEX. — Continued. 
 
 R. 
 
 Records kept by vessel 
 
 Register of leases 
 
 Regulations as to privilege tax . . . , 
 
 “ of commission 
 
 Removal of commissioners 
 
 “ ' “ employees 
 
 Removing stakes 
 
 Rental, amount 
 
 Rent, by whom collected 
 
 “ payable in advance 
 
 Renewal of lease 
 
 Repeal 
 
 “ clause 
 
 Report to governor 
 
 “ to legislature 
 
 “ by licensees 
 
 Residents may use bottom 
 
 Resale, vessels purchasing for 
 
 Returns at end of license year. . . . 
 
 Rights of lessees 
 
 Riparian proprietor 
 
 Roads 
 
 Rules and legislature 
 
 S. 
 
 Salary of attorney 
 
 “ “ commissioners 
 
 “ “ chief inspector 
 
 “ “ “ surveyor 
 
 “ “ deputy surveyor 
 
 “ “ secretary 
 
 Sale of cargo 
 
 School fund 
 
 Seal of commission 
 
 Secretary 
 
 “ daily deposit 
 
 Seed oysters 
 
 “ fishing of 
 
 Service of process on commission. . 
 
 Shells, exportation of 
 
 Sheriffs’ settlements 
 
 Shipment out of State 
 
 Shucker’s license 
 
 must shuck in Louisiana 
 
 Special meetings 
 
 Staking bedding grounds 
 
 Stock holding limits 
 
 Surety on bonds 
 
 Surplus fund 
 
 Surveyors 
 
 Survey, plan of 
 
 Suspension of employees 
 
 T. 
 
 Tax collectors’ monthly reports . . . 
 
 Tenure of non-residents 
 
 Title 
 
 Transfer of leases 
 
 Traveling expenses 
 
 Trust prohibition 
 
 Ton, vessels under one 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 9 
 
 . 11 
 8 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 . 17 
 
 ,11-13 
 
 6 
 
 12-13 
 2-13 
 . 19 
 
 . 19 
 
 . 17 
 
 4 
 8 
 1 
 9 
 9 
 
 11-16 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 . 5 
 
 5 
 5 
 5 
 
 5 
 4 
 
 . 18 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 6 
 
 i 16 
 , 16 
 
 3 
 2 
 
 7 
 2 
 
 8 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 11 
 
 10 
 
 7 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 11 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 1 
 
 12 
 
 5 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
INDEX. — Continued. 
 
 U. PAGE. 
 
 Use of water bottoms 15 
 
 V. 
 
 Vessel, change of name 10 
 
 “ forfeiture 18 
 
 “ license 9 
 
 “ number 14 
 
 “ purchasing for resale 9 
 
 “ records to be kept 9 
 
 Violations, where prosecuted 17-18 
 
 W. 
 
 Warrants, issuing of 6 
 
 Water bottoms cannot be sold 2 
 
 “ “ state property 1 
 
 Y. 
 
 Year, license 10