Table of Contents Sec. 26-238. Town oyster ground committee. Section 26-238 is repealed. Sec. 26-239. Certain grants of oyster, clam and mussel grounds valid. Any
grant of oyster, clam or mussel ground, made by the duly constituted state or town
authorities, which is not in territory that has been designated as natural oyster ground
by the General Assembly or by the courts, and which has remained in the possession
of the owner or owners for five years, shall be valid; and any proceeding to invalidate
such grant shall be brought within five years after such grant was made, otherwise the
title to such grant shall become complete in such owner or owners. Sec. 26-240. Town ground; designation; hearing. Any person desiring to plant
or cultivate oysters, clams or mussels, in any waters within town jurisdiction, may apply
in writing, to the shellfish commission or to selectmen authorized to act, of the town
where such grounds are situated, to designate a suitable place to be used by him for
that purpose, and such commission or selectmen may make such designation and such
applicant shall make and stake out such place and may enclose it with buoys or with
stakes, set at suitable distances and distinctly visible above the surface at high water.
Such commission or selectmen shall make a written description of such designation and
enclosure, by ranges or otherwise, as may be most convenient, which shall state the
time of such designation. The money derived from such designation by selectmen shall
be paid to the town in which the same is made. The money derived from a designation
by a shellfish commission shall be paid to the commission. A designation may be made
to several in common, as well as to individuals. No such designation by the commission
or the selectmen shall become effective or be established until after a public hearing in
relation thereto has been held by the commission or selectmen authorized to act for that
purpose at which parties in interest and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard.
Notice of the time and place of such hearing shall be published in a newspaper having
a substantial circulation in such municipality at least twice at intervals of not less than
two days, the first not more than fifteen days and the last not less than two days before
such hearing. A copy of the written application for the designation shall be filed in the
office of the town clerk in such municipality for public inspection at least fifteen days
before such hearing and shall be published in full in such newspaper. Sec. 26-241. Name of owner to appear on markers, buoys and stakes. All stakes,
buoys or other markers placed by any person, except buoys placed by the state, so as
to mark the divisional line, in whole or in part, between any private and any public or
natural oyster, clam or mussel beds, in any waters of this state, shall have the name or
initial of the owner plainly marked and visible at high water. Any corporation or person
who fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall have committed an infraction. Sec. 26-242. Granting of designation; condition precedent. No shellfish commission or selectmen shall grant any designation of ground for the planting or cultivation
of oysters, until the applicant for such ground has shown them a certificate from the
town clerk that the ground has not been previously designated and that such ground is
within the limits allotted by law for designation by such commission or selectmen,
together with a receipt from the town treasurer, acknowledging that the money for such
designation has been deposited with him, pending the action of the commission or selectmen. Town clerks may grant such certificates upon satisfactory proof of such facts by
maps and examination of the law and records. Town treasurers may receive such moneys
and give such receipts and, if the designation is granted, may retain the money for the
use of the town; but, if the application is denied, they shall, on demand of the applicant,
refund such payment. Any member of any shellfish commission or of any board of
selectmen who violates any of the provisions of this section shall have committed an
infraction. Sec. 26-243. Evidence of designation to be recorded. The selectmen of each town
in which places have been designated in its navigable waters for planting or cultivating
oysters, clams or mussels shall provide a book, to be kept by the town clerk, for recording
all applications for such places, together with the written designation and descriptions
of the places designated and set out thereon, and all assignments of such places. The
town clerk shall record each application and note thereon the day when it was received
for record and the book and page where it was recorded and make an alphabetical index
of all such applications, designations and assignments, specifying the names of the
applicants and of the assignors and assignees, separately; and an attested copy of any
such application, designation or assignment, with a certificate that it has been recorded,
shall be conclusive evidence of the fact of such record and prima facie evidence of the
validity of such application, designation or assignment. Sec. 26-244. Lost title; redesignation. Penalty. Any owner of any such place who
has lost the evidences of his title, after filing the same with the town clerk, may apply
to the shellfish commission of the town in which such place is situated, and in East
Haven and West Haven to the selectmen, and if he satisfies them that the same justly
belongs to him, and that he had obtained and filed such evidences of title with the town
clerk, and that such evidences have been lost or destroyed, such commission or selectmen
may designate and set such place to him anew, notwithstanding he may have acquired
title to other places, though the whole of the places held by him would exceed two acres
in extent; but no new application and designation shall affect the rights of any other
person to any place so designated and set out or to the oysters thereon. Any person who
fraudulently procures any such place to be designated and set to himself, or to any other
person, under the provisions of this section shall be fined not more than three hundred
dollars or imprisoned not more than six months or both. Sec. 26-245. Fees of shellfish commissions. A shellfish commission may establish
a fee for a description of grounds designated for planting and cultivating oysters and a
fee to be paid to each member for each day occupied in making such designation. Sec. 26-246. Designation of disputed lines in local jurisdiction. When the
boundaries of lands or grounds not within the exclusive jurisdiction of the state, lawfully
designated for the planting or cultivation of oysters, clams or mussels, between adjoining
proprietors, have been lost or become uncertain, or when the shellfish commission authorized to stake out such lands or grounds has, in the designations or descriptions
thereof, described such boundaries so as not to agree with or correctly locate the boundaries actually fixed by them, and such adjoining proprietors cannot agree to establish
the same, one or more of them may bring a petition to the superior court for the judicial
district in which such lands or grounds, or a portion of them, are situated, and said court
may order such lost and uncertain bounds to be erected and established; and may appoint
a committee of not more than three disinterested property owners, who shall give notice
to all parties interested, as the same appear, in such lands or grounds, to appear before
them, and having been sworn, shall inquire into the facts and erect and establish such
lost and uncertain bounds, and ascertain the true line between such adjoining proprietors,
and reestablish and relocate the same where the shellfish commission marked and placed
the same, and may employ a surveyor to assist them if necessary. Such commission
shall report to the court the facts relating to such matters, and the original designations
and descriptions of such lands and grounds, and of all their doings in the premises; and,
if said court finds such parties were duly notified, it may confirm such doings and by
its decree fix and locate such boundary lines between such adjoining proprietors, and
certified copies of the report and decree shall be recorded in the oyster records of the
town in which such lands are, or on which such original designations of such grounds
are recorded, and the lines and bounds so erected and established shall be the bounds
and lines between such adjoining proprietors. This section shall not apply to any designation of oyster ground which contains a map thereof, or which refers to such map lodged
on file in the town clerk's office, or to oyster grounds within the exclusive jurisdiction
of the state. Sec. 26-247. Removal of beds improperly staked. When any natural oyster or
clam bed, or any part thereof, within town jurisdiction, has been designated, enclosed
or staked out, contrary to the provisions of this chapter, the superior court for the judicial
district in which such bed is situated, upon the petition of any individual aggrieved, or
of the town in which such bed is situated, against the person claiming the same, and the
chairman of the shellfish commission appointed by such town, when such petition is
brought by an individual, shall appoint a committee, which, having been sworn and
given notice to the parties, shall hear such petition and report the facts thereon to said
court. If it appears that such bed has been improperly staked out, the court may order
such commission to remove the stakes enclosing the same, and costs to be paid at the
discretion of the court; but, when oysters have been planted or cultivated or improvements made, before such petition is brought, by any person, in good faith, to whom such
designations have been made, or by any assignee of such person, the court shall give
him a reasonable time to remove such oysters and improvements. Sec. 26-248. Procedure to dam creek or inlet. When the owner of any land in
which there is any saltwater creek or inlet desires to dam, gate or lock the same for any
oyster pond, for the cultivation of oysters, he may make application therefor to the
selectmen of the town or the shellfish commission where such creek or inlet may be,
who shall visit and examine it. If, in the opinion of the selectmen or commission, to
dam it will not injure navigation or deprive the public of any rights or privileges, said
selectmen or commission shall mark off, or set bounds, where a dam may be built, and
report such opinion to a meeting of the town or the commission; and, if such opinion is
approved by the meeting or the commission, the owner of such creek or inlet may construct and maintain such dam, gate or lock, for such purpose, during the pleasure of the
General Assembly. Sec. 26-249. Private ownership in cultivated shellfish. Each person who plants
or cultivates oysters, clams or mussels, in any place lawfully designated, shall own them
and also all other oysters, clams or mussels on such place, and have the exclusive right
of taking up and disposing of them and of using such place for the purpose of planting
or cultivating oysters, clams or mussels therein, which place shall be transferable by
written assignment; but nothing herein contained shall affect the rights of any owner of
lands in which there may be saltwater creeks or inlets, or which may be opposite or
contiguous to such navigable waters; nor authorize any shellfish commission or selectmen to designate, nor any person to mark, stake out or enclose, any natural oyster or
clam bed, or infringe upon the free navigation of such waters, or interfere with the
drawing of seines in any place established and customarily used for seine fishing. Sec. 26-250. Taxation of town ground. All shellfish grounds lying within the
waters of this state and not exclusively within state jurisdiction shall be taxed in the
same manner in all respects as real estate in the several towns within the meridian lines
of which such shellfish grounds are situated, and no other tax or rental shall be laid or
collected on such grounds or the franchise of any person therein. Sec. 26-251. Natural clam beds not to be designated. No shellfish commission
or selectman of any town shall designate, and no person shall mark, stake out or enclose,
for the cultivation of oysters, clams or mussels, any natural clam bed. Sec. 26-252. Taking of hard or round clams; size. No rake, tongs, dredge or other
device shall be used for taking hard or round clams in any of the waters of this state,
with spaces or openings between the teeth or prongs of less than one inch, and no such
clams less than one inch in thickness, or which will pass through a ring of one and one-
half inches internal diameter, shall be bought, sold or offered for sale by any person but,
if taken, shall, without unnecessary injury, be returned to the water whence taken. Any
person who violates any provision of this section shall have committed an infraction. Sec. 26-253. Trespass on designated ground. Any person who wilfully commits
any trespass or injury with eel spears or other implements on any designated oyster
ground on which oysters are being cultivated shall have committed an infraction. Secs. 26-254 and 26-255. Catching of shellfish on bridge pier. Plowing for
shellfish along Long Island Sound. Sections 26-254 and 26-255 are repealed. Sec. 26-256. Injury to pond gates and dams. Any person who injures the dams
or gates of any oyster pond shall have committed an infraction. Sec. 26-257. Local shellfish grounds under state control. When shellfish
grounds or franchises located within the limits of the towns of West Haven, New Haven,
Milford and Westport, and northerly of the state jurisdiction line, have been surveyed,
and a map of the same made and accepted by the Commissioner of Agriculture according
to law, said commissioner shall have and exercise all the powers and duties with reference to the grounds designated thereby which he has with reference to the grounds south
of the state jurisdiction line; and any copies of such books, records and maps which
were used in connection with such survey shall be kept on file in the office of the
commissioner; provided the selectmen of the town of Westport shall have exclusive
jurisdiction over, and power to designate, shellfish grounds in the waters, in said town,
of all creeks and estuaries tributary to Compo Mill Pond in said town, and the selectmen
of the town of Milford shall have exclusive jurisdiction over, and power to designate
or lease, shellfish grounds in the waters, in said town, of the Indian River, Gulf Pond
and that portion of the Milford Harbor located northerly of the breakwater. The map of
such grounds in the town of Milford shall be published with the annual report of the
Commissioner of Agriculture. Taxes and rentals on grounds in the towns of West Haven
and Westport and in the city of New Haven and on franchises in the town of Milford
designated on such maps shall be paid to the treasurer of the town or city. Sec. 26-257a. Local shellfish commissions. (a) Any town, city or borough, acting
by its legislative body or its board of selectmen, if a town, or its mayor, if a city, or its
warden, if a borough, may establish a shellfish commission or may join with one or
more other towns, cities or boroughs, acting by their respective legislative bodies or
boards of selectmen or mayors or wardens, as the case may be, in establishing such a
commission. The number of members and their term of office shall be determined by
the legislative body or board of selectmen or mayor or warden, as the case may be, or,
in the case of such joint action, by agreement of the legislative bodies or boards of
selectmen or mayors or wardens, as the case may be. Sec. 26-258. Location of local natural clam or oyster beds. The superior court
for the judicial district of New Haven, on the application of the selectmen of the town
of West Haven, and the superior court for any judicial district, on the application of the
oyster-ground committee of any town in such judicial district, shall appoint a committee
of three disinterested persons, not residents of the town within the boundaries of which
any natural oyster, clam or mussel beds exist, to ascertain, locate and describe, by suitable
boundaries, all the natural oyster, clam or mussel beds within the boundaries of such
town. The committee so appointed shall first give three weeks' notice, by advertising
in a newspaper published in or nearest to such town, of the time and place of their first
meeting for such purpose. Such committee shall hear parties who appear before it and
may take evidence from such other sources as it deems advisable and shall make written
designations by ranges, bounds and areas of all the natural oyster, clam and mussel beds
within the boundaries of such town, and shall make a report of its doings to the superior
court, which report, when accepted by said court, shall be recorded and shall be a final
and conclusive determination of the extent, boundaries and location of such natural beds
at the date of such report. The clerk of the court shall transmit to the town clerk of each
of said towns a certified copy of such report, which shall be recorded by such town clerk
in the book kept by him for the record of applications, designations and conveyances
of designated grounds. Such public notice of such application to the superior court, and
of the time and place of the return of the same, shall be given by such selectmen or
oyster-ground committee as any judge of the superior court may order. The selectmen
of the town of West Haven and the oyster committees of other towns, upon a written
request, signed by twenty electors of their respective towns, shall make such application
to the superior court within thirty days after receiving a copy of such written request,
and such application shall be privileged and shall be heard and disposed of at the term
of said court to which such application is returned. All expenses incurred by such selectmen and oyster-ground committees in such applications, and the doings thereunder, and
the fees of such committees so appointed by the court, shall be taxed by the clerk of
said court and paid upon his order by the state. The fees of such committees shall not
exceed five dollars per day for each member thereof and shall be in full for all services,
expenses and disbursements under such appointment, and the comptroller shall keep an
account of such expense separate from that of the shellfish commission. Any designation
of ground for the planting or cultivation of shellfish, made more than five years prior
to the time of the making of such application for the appointment of such committee
and within the areas so established by such report of such committee, shall be valid. Sec. 26-259. Maps to be lodged in town clerk's office. The selectmen of the town
of West Haven and the committees of other towns shall, at the expense of their respective
towns, procure and cause to be lodged and kept in the office of the town clerk of each
town, respectively, accurate maps showing the boundary lines of their respective towns
in the navigable waters of the state and all designations of ground by local authorities
for the cultivation of shellfish made within such boundaries, and shall number such
designations on such maps and shall cause to be designated on such maps all natural
oyster, clam and mussel beds lying within their several towns respectively, as the same
are ascertained by the report of such committees so recorded in such towns, and the
committee or selectmen who thereafter make any such designation shall mark the same
upon such map. Sec. 26-260. Selectmen of Milford and West Haven may prohibit the taking
of clams. The selectmen of the towns of West Haven and Milford may, from time to
time as they deem expedient, prohibit the taking of long or soft-shell clams from such
portions of the natural clam grounds of their respective towns as they shall from time
to time designate, for a period not exceeding one year at a time. When said selectmen
designate any place or places within their respective towns from which the taking of
long or soft-shell clams is prohibited as aforesaid, the selectmen of the town of West
Haven shall publish at least twice in some newspaper published in the city of New
Haven, and the selectmen of the town of Milford shall publish at least twice in some
newspaper published or having a circulation in the town of Milford, a notice describing
the grounds upon which such prohibition is operative, and shall further describe the
boundaries of such grounds by posting notices, signed by the selectmen of the town in
which such grounds are situated, upon the shore adjacent to such grounds. No person
shall take or have in his possession in either of said towns any long or soft-shell clams
of less than one and one-half inches in length; and no person shall take any long or
soft-shell clams from any grounds from which the taking of the same is prohibited as
aforesaid, during the time of such prohibition. Any person who violates any provision
of this section shall be fined not more than seven dollars or imprisoned not more than
thirty days or both for each offense. Sec. 26-261. Taking of clams from Oyster River in West Haven and Milford.
Any person who takes or carries away any clams from Oyster River in the towns of
West Haven and Milford, at any point above the bridge over said river in the highway
leading from West Haven to Woodmont, shall be fined not more than seven dollars or
imprisoned not more than thirty days or both. Sec. 26-262. Taking of oysters from natural ground in Milford. Section 26-262
is repealed. Sec. 26-263. Taking of clams from Gulf Pond in Milford. Any person who takes
more than one peck of clams at any one tide from Gulf Pond, so called, in the town of
Milford, shall be fined not more than seven dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty
days or both. Sec. 26-264. Dredging prohibited in New Haven Harbor. Any person who takes,
rakes, gathers or collects, by means of dredges, any oysters from any natural or public
oyster bed in the waters of New Haven Harbor, within the following limits: Commencing
at a point at high-water mark due west of the center of the old lighthouse in the town
of New Haven; thence following high-water mark to the sluiceway at Fort Hale Park;
thence in a straight line to the northeast corner of lot number 179, which is the northeast
corner of the Morris Cove designations; thence following the easterly boundary line of
the Morris Cove designations to a point due west of the old lighthouse; thence due east
to the point of beginning; shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned
not more than thirty days or be both fined and imprisoned. Sec. 26-265. Dredging in New Haven, Morris Creek and East Haven. Any person who takes or collects by means of dredges, except on private designated grounds,
any shells or shellfish in that portion of New Haven Harbor and its adjacent waters west
of a line commencing on the line of division between East Haven and Branford, at the
mouth of Farm River, and running thence southerly to Scotch Cap, and northerly of a
line running from said Scotch Cap westerly to Southwest ledge, and thence westerly to
a point in the low-water mark in West Haven nearest the center of the dwelling house
formerly known as Hines' place, or who, by means of dredges, takes or collects any
shells or shellfish in the navigable waters of the town of East Haven west of said line,
or who takes any shellfish from Morris Creek in East Haven, except on or adjacent to
his own land, without the consent of the owners of the adjacent land, shall be fined not
less than twenty-five dollars nor more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned not more
than six months or be both fined and imprisoned; but this section shall not apply to the
act of dredging upon any ground in the waters of East Haven by the owner thereof,
which lies southwesterly of a line drawn as follows: Starting from the center of the rock
known as "the Chimneys", and running thence northwesterly in a straight line to the
spindle on the rock known as "Quixes Ledge", and thence northwesterly in a straight
line through the center of the rock known as "Adam's Fall", to the point where it will
intersect a straight line drawn from the lighthouse in East Haven to Savin Rock, so
called, in the town of West Haven. Sec. 26-266. Shellfisheries in Branford. The selectmen of the town of Branford
or shellfish commission established in accordance with section 26-257a shall have
charge of all the shellfisheries and shell and shellfish grounds lying in said town not
granted to others and not under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Agriculture,
between the center line of the Farm or East Haven River and the Guilford town line and
below mean high-water mark, with power to issue licenses for the taking of shellfish
and shells therefrom and to designate the quantities of such shellfish and shells to be
taken, the sizes of such shellfish and the methods of taking. They shall also have power
to restrict the taking of such shellfish and shells from certain designated areas for periods
not in excess of one year. The grants of all areas of shellfish grounds lying within the
boundaries of the town of Branford upon which no tax has been paid for a period of
three years preceding shall be deemed vacated and such areas shall revert to the town
of Branford and become available for further grant by the selectmen or shellfish commission of said town. Before making a further grant, the selectmen or shellfish commission
shall determine if such grounds are suitable for public use and any part thereof so determined shall not be available for such grant. Sec. 26-267. Branford and Farm Rivers. Any person who, except as provided
under section 26-266, takes or carries away from Branford or Farm River any oyster
shells or seed oysters for the purpose of planting the same upon any private bed, or,
except as provided under said section, takes from either of said rivers more than two
bushels of oysters in one calendar day, or takes, gathers or collects any oysters or shells
from either of said rivers by using for such purpose implements of any kind between
April first and October first in any year, shall be fined fourteen dollars. Sec. 26-268. Branford or East Haven shores. Any person who takes or collects
any shells or shellfish, or uses spears for taking fish, within the boundaries of any place
designated for planting or cultivating oysters within two miles of the shores of Branford
or East Haven, without the permission of the owner of such place, shall be fined not
more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than sixty days. Sec. 26-269. Taking of clams from clam flats in and adjacent to the town of
Branford. Any person who takes, directly or indirectly, at any one tide, more than one-
half of a bushel of clams from the clam flats in the town of Branford, and between the
East Haven River and the Guilford town line, shall be fined not more than twenty-five
dollars. Sec. 26-270. Taking oysters and clams in Westbrook. (a) Any person who, by
means of a dredge or any instrument drawn by any vessel, takes any oysters or substances
on which oysters will naturally set from any natural or public oyster bed in the waters
of Westbrook shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned not more
than thirty days or be both fined and imprisoned and shall forfeit his right to take any
oysters or clams in the marine district of Westbrook for one year, and for a second
offense shall be fined not more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than
sixty days or be both fined and imprisoned. Secs. 26-271 to 26-275. Powers of Guilford and Madison selectmen. Shellfisheries in Guilford. Restriction of powers of Guilford. Limitation of taking shellfish
in Guilford and Madison. Dredging in waters. Sections 26-271 to 26-275, inclusive,
are repealed. Sec. 26-276. Hammonasset River; limitation. Except as otherwise provided, any
person who, in any one day, takes, gathers or collects more than two bushels of oysters,
clams, mussels or shells, from any portion of Hammonasset River not designated for
planting shellfish, shall be fined not more than twenty dollars or imprisoned not more
than sixty days or both. Sec. 26-277. Clinton and Madison; special constables. The towns of Clinton
and Madison may appoint, at annual or special town meetings, two or more special
constables, who may inspect and measure shellfish and shells taken by any person in
one day from the portion of the Hammonasset River over which such constables have
supervision, authority and control as provided in section 26-278, and may arrest, without
warrant, within such portion of said river or within the town to which the officer making
the arrest belongs, any person found violating section 26-276, or who has in his possession shellfish or shells taken, gathered or collected by him within said limits in violation
of said section. Said towns shall respectively provide for the payment of such special
constables as are appointed. Sec. 26-278. Jurisdiction of special constables. Such special constables and all
informing officers of either of said towns shall inquire after and prosecute any violations
of sections 26-276 and 26-277. For the purpose of enforcing the same, special constables,
appointed as provided in section 26-277, shall have supervision, authority, control and
jurisdiction over that part of Hammonasset River lying above a line running across said
river at the mouth of Dudley's Creek, and perpendicular to the course of the river, and
of offenses committed within said limits in the same way and to the same extent as
though such portion of said river was within the town to which such officers belong,
and the officers and authorities of the town of Clinton shall have supervision, authority,
control and jurisdiction over the remaining portion of said Hammonasset River. Sec. 26-279. Madison; town rights. Sections 26-276, 26-277 and 26-278 shall
not in any way affect the rights of the town of Madison created by or claimed under the
act establishing the line between the towns of Guilford and Killingworth, passed in
December, 1790. Sec. 26-280. Taking of shellfish at Saugatuck Shores in Westport. No person
shall take, remove or carry away shellfish of any kind from the shores, beaches and flats
at "Saugatuck Shores", so called, in the town of Westport, between June first and October
first in each year, except under a written permit issued by the selectmen of said town
or as authorized by the shellfish commission of the town of Westport, provided residents
of the towns of Westport, Weston and Wilton may take, remove or carry away shellfish
from the shores, beaches and flats between the westerly boundary of Sherwood Island
Park and the mouth of the Saugatuck River without obtaining such a permit. Any other
person desiring to take shellfish from said shores, beaches and flats shall make application to the police department of Westport on a form similar to that provided in connection
with licenses or permits for fishing and such police department shall issue such number
of permits and to such applicants as appear suitable and proper, and each permittee or
licensee shall pay the sum of one dollar for such permit or license when issued to him
and such license or permit, unless revoked for cause, shall continue in effect for the
balance of the calendar year in which the same is issued. Any person who takes shellfish
from said shores, beaches and flats in violation of the provisions hereof shall be fined
not more than twenty-five dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days or both. The
provisions of this section shall not be deemed to extend the jurisdiction of the selectmen
or the shellfish commission of the town of Westport to any shores, beaches, or flats not
within the jurisdiction of such selectmen or commission on or before October 1, 1983. Secs. 26-281 to 26-283. Protection of clams and oysters in Fairfield. Taking of
clams from Fairfield Beach. Clamming restricted in Mill River in Fairfield. Sections 26-281 to 26-283, inclusive, are repealed. Sec. 26-284. Thames River oysters; limitation. Any person who takes or carries
away from the Thames River any oyster shells or seed oysters for the purpose of planting
the same upon any private oyster bed, or who takes or carries away from said river,
except from his own private bed or beds, more than ten bushels of oysters in any one
day, shall be fined not more than seven dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days
or both.
Sec. 26-238. Town oyster ground committee.
Sec. 26-239. Certain grants of oyster, clam and mussel grounds valid.
Sec. 26-240. Town ground; designation; hearing.
Sec. 26-241. Name of owner to appear on markers, buoys and stakes.
Sec. 26-242. Granting of designation; condition precedent.
Sec. 26-243. Evidence of designation to be recorded.
Sec. 26-244. Lost title; redesignation. Penalty.
Sec. 26-245. Fees of shellfish commissions.
Sec. 26-246. Designation of disputed lines in local jurisdiction.
Sec. 26-247. Removal of beds improperly staked.
Sec. 26-248. Procedure to dam creek or inlet.
Sec. 26-249. Private ownership in cultivated shellfish.
Sec. 26-250. Taxation of town ground.
Sec. 26-251. Natural clam beds not to be designated.
Sec. 26-252. Taking of hard or round clams; size.
Sec. 26-253. Trespass on designated ground.
Secs. 26-254 and 26-255. Catching of shellfish on bridge pier. Plowing for shellfish
along Long Island Sound.
Sec. 26-256. Injury to pond gates and dams.
Sec. 26-257. Local shellfish grounds under state control.
Sec. 26-257a. Local shellfish commissions.
Sec. 26-258. Location of local natural clam or oyster beds.
Sec. 26-259. Maps to be lodged in town clerk's office.
Sec. 26-260. Selectmen of Milford and West Haven may prohibit the taking of clams.
Sec. 26-261. Taking of clams from Oyster River in West Haven and Milford.
Sec. 26-262. Taking of oysters from natural ground in Milford.
Sec. 26-263. Taking of clams from Gulf Pond in Milford.
Sec. 26-264. Dredging prohibited in New Haven Harbor.
Sec. 26-265. Dredging in New Haven, Morris Creek and East Haven.
Sec. 26-266. Shellfisheries in Branford.
Sec. 26-267. Branford and Farm Rivers.
Sec. 26-268. Branford or East Haven shores.
Sec. 26-269. Taking of clams from clam flats in and adjacent to the town of Branford.
Sec. 26-270. Taking oysters and clams in Westbrook.
Secs. 26-271 to 26-275. Powers of Guilford and Madison selectmen. Shellfisheries in Guilford. Restriction of powers of Guilford. Limitation of taking shellfish in Guilford and
Madison. Dredging in waters.
Sec. 26-276. Hammonasset River; limitation.
Sec. 26-277. Clinton and Madison; special constables.
Sec. 26-278. Jurisdiction of special constables.
Sec. 26-279. Madison; town rights.
Sec. 26-280. Taking of shellfish at Saugatuck Shores in Westport.
Secs. 26-281 to 26-283. Protection of clams and oysters in Fairfield. Taking of clams
from Fairfield Beach. Clamming restricted in Mill River in Fairfield.
Sec. 26-284. Thames River oysters; limitation.
Sec. 26-285. Taking of oysters and clams in Old Lyme regulated.
Sec. 26-286. Taking oysters from the inland waters of East Lyme and Waterford.
Sec. 26-287. Waterford-East Lyme shellfish commission. Taking of shellfish from Niantic
River.
Sec. 26-288. Escallops.
Sec. 26-289. Dredging for escallops in Little Narragansett Bay or Stonington Harbor.
Sec. 26-290. Taking of escallops in Groton.
Sec. 26-291. Taking of oysters and clams in Stonington.
Sec. 26-291a. Taking of clams and oysters in Stonington.
Sec. 26-292. Taking of escallops in the waters of Stonington.
Sec. 26-293. Prosecutions.
Sec. 26-294. Penalty.
(1949 Rev., S. 5069; P.A. 86-225, S. 15.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5072.)
No presumption as to the location of town lines; legislature may place control of fisheries in navigable waters at its
pleasure. 48 C. 452. Cited. 89 C. 7.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5074; 1949, 1955, S. 2565d; P.A. 86-225, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 86-225 transferred the functions of oyster committees to shellfish commissions and added provision
specifying that money derived from designation by shellfish commission is paid to the commission.
Designation of natural oyster ground is invalid; may be so shown by parol. 37 C. 320; 42 C. 255; 56 C. 509; 64 C. 217;
66 C. 285. There can be no title by adverse possession, as against the state; this section is constitutional; town designation
is seemingly perpetual. 56 C. 509. No right, adverse to the public, is acquired until the ground is staked. 57 C. 576. The
right of upland proprietor to wharf and channel is not affected by an oyster-ground designation to another. 62 C. 132.
Evidence as to boundaries considered. 74 C. 374. Cited. 89 C. 7. Recipients of designations took the same subject to such
rights as existed in town to discharge sewage. 112 C. 215. Nature of rights acquired. Id.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5075; P.A. 86-225, S. 2.)
History: P.A. 86-225 eliminated the fine for violations and made violations an infraction.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5077; P.A. 86-225, S. 3.)
History: P.A. 86-225 transferred the functions of oyster-ground committees to shellfish commissions, eliminated the
fine for violations and made violations an infraction.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5078.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5079; P.A. 86-225, S. 4.)
History: P.A. 86-225 transferred functions from oyster-ground committees to shellfish commissions.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5080; P.A. 86-225, S. 5.)
History: P.A. 86-225 entirely replaced prior provisions, transferring functions of oyster-ground committees to shellfish
commissions and authorizing such commissions to establish fees.
Cited. 112 C. 214.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5081; P.A. 76-436, S. 605, 681; P.A. 78-280, S. 1, 127; P.A. 81-472, S. 140, 159; P.A. 86-225, S. 6.)
History: P.A. 76-436 replaced court of common pleas with superior court, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 78-280 replaced
"county" with "judicial district"; P.A. 81-472 made technical changes; P.A. 86-225 transferred functions of oyster-ground
committees to shellfish commissions.
Admissibility of evidence. 74 C. 374. The divisional line must be of adjoining grounds and the map must be absolutely
accurate; these are jurisdictional questions. 51 C. 188.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5082; P.A. 76-436, S. 606, 681; P.A. 78-280, S. 1, 127; P.A. 86-225, S. 7.)
History: P.A. 76-436 replaced court of common pleas with superior court and added reference to judicial districts,
effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 78-280 deleted reference to counties; P.A. 86-225 transferred functions of oyster-ground
committees to shellfish commissions.
In the absence of legislative authority the state can only invoke judicial action. 48 C. 447; 55 C. 266. Clams and oysters
are distinct species of shellfish. 55 C. 265. Title to natural bed cannot be gained by adverse possession; this provision is
constitutional. 56 C. 509. The provision for removal of stakes is not designed as a method of trying title; nor the provision
allowing time for removal of oysters, to restrict public rights, but to prevent sudden and forcible ejectment; no recovery
allowed for taking a few cents' worth of planted oysters intermingled with natural growth. 66 C. 285.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5083; P.A. 86-225, S. 8.)
History: P.A. 86-225 amended section to authorize shellfish commission, as well as selectmen, to rule on applications
to restrict water flows, where previously the power was restricted to the selectmen.
A strict compliance in mode of procedure is requisite. 42 C. 255. Whether all the owners of lands are required to join,
quaere. Id. Public rights in a natural bed not affected. Id.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5084; P.A. 86-225, S. 9.)
History: P.A. 86-225 transferred functions from oyster-ground committees to shellfish commissions.
To dig shellfish between high and low water marks is a common right. 5 D. 22. Riparian owner may wharf or channel.
62 C. 139. Cited. 112 C. 214. Cited. 177 C. 287, 291.
When one has franchise to oyster ground, town liable for damage it causes by laying sewer pipes. 12 CS 135.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5085.)
Cited. 112 C. 214. See note to Sec. 26-249.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5086; P.A. 86-225, S. 10.)
History: P.A. 86-225 transferred functions from oyster-ground committees to shellfish commissions.
See note to Sec. 26-240.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5114; P.A. 78-334, S. 14; P.A. 86-225, S. 11.)
History: P.A. 78-334 raised minimum fine from ten to twenty-five dollars and maximum fine from fifty to one hundred
dollars; P.A. 86-225 eliminated the fine for violations and made violations an infraction.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5117; P.A. 78-334, S. 15; P.A. 86-225, S. 12.)
History: P.A. 78-334 raised maximum fine from seven to ten dollars; P.A. 86-225 eliminated the fine for violations
and made violations an infraction.
This section applies to grounds when defective designation is validated. 64 C. 217.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5118, 5119; P.A. 78-334, S. 17.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5120; P.A. 86-225, S. 13.)
History: P.A. 86-225 eliminated fine and imprisonment penalties and specified that injury to dams or gates is an
infraction.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5070; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 364; 1972, P.A. 52, S. 34.)
History: 1971 act replaced references to shellfish commission and commissioners with references to environmental
protection commissioner; 1972 act replaced commissioner of environmental protection with commissioner of agriculture.
Cited. 231 C. 418, 423, 429.
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(b) Such commission shall have charge of all the shellfisheries and shellfish grounds
lying in such municipality or municipalities not granted to others and not under the
jurisdiction of the Commissioner of Agriculture, including all rivers, inland waters and
flats adjacent to all beaches and waters within the limits and marine bounds of the
municipality or municipalities. The commission may designate suitable places in the
navigable waters within its jurisdiction for planting or cultivating oysters, clams or
mussels. The commission may issue licenses for the taking of shellfish therefrom and
fix the fees therefor, may designate the quantities of such shellfish to be taken, the sizes
of such shellfish and the methods of taking. The commission may prohibit the taking
of such shellfish from certain designated areas for periods not in excess of one year. All
moneys collected by the commission under the provisions of this section shall be paid
to the commission and used by it for the protection and propagation of the shellfish
under its control. Any person who violates any regulation issued by the commission
pursuant to this section shall be fined not more than fifty dollars or imprisoned not more
than thirty days or both.
(c) The commission shall prepare and periodically update a shellfish management
plan. The plan shall be submitted to the Commissioner of Agriculture and any appropriate board of selectmen, mayor or warden for review and comment.
(1963, P.A. 306; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 365; 1972, P.A. 52, S. 35; P.A. 79-293, S. 4; P.A. 86-225, S. 14.)
History: 1971 act replaced state shellfish commissioners with commissioner of environmental protection; 1972 act
replaced commissioner of environmental protection with commissioner of agriculture; P.A. 79-293 made provisions of
Subsec. (a) applicable with respect to boroughs and their wardens; P.A. 86-225 amended Subsec. (b) authorizing the
commissions to designate shellfish grounds and added Subsec. (c) regarding shellfish management plans.
Cited. 231 C. 418, 428.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5071; P.A. 78-280, S. 59, 127.)
History: P.A. 78-280 replaced references to "county" with "judicial district".
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(1949 Rev., S. 5073.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5115.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5111.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5110; P.A. 78-334, S. 17.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5112; P.A. 78-334, S. 16.)
History: P.A. 78-334 deleted provision which had made penalty applicable to offense of taking more than one bushel
of oysters.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5107.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5106.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5102; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 366; 1972, P.A. 52, S. 36; P.A. 87-520, S. 2.)
History: 1971 act replaced state shellfish commissioners with commissioner of environmental protection; 1972 act
replaced commissioner of environmental protection with commissioner of agriculture; P.A. 87-520 authorized the shellfish
commission to regulate shellfish grounds where before such authority was limited to the board of selectmen, authorized
revision after nonpayment of taxes for three rather than five years and added provision limiting grants to grounds not
suitable for public use.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5103; 1961, P.A. 517, S. 27.)
History: 1961 act deleted provision which stated that all prosecutions under section shall be determined by any trial
justice residing in Branford or East Haven.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5104.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5105.)
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(b) Any person oystering or clamming on public or natural grounds within the jurisdiction of the town of Westbrook shall be limited to two bushels of oysters and one
bushel of clams per day. No person shall, between sunset and sunrise, take or collect
any shells or shellfish from any place in the waters of the town of Westbrook. Any
person who violates any provision of this subsection shall be fined not more than fifty
dollars or imprisoned for thirty days or be both fined and imprisoned.
(1951, S. 2564d.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5087, 5098−5101; 1959, P.A. 38; 1961, P.A. 517, S. 28; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 367; 1972, P.A. 52, S. 37;
P.A. 74-183, S. 254, 291; P.A. 76-436, S. 218, 681; P.A. 86-225, S. 15.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5088.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5095.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5096; 1961, P.A. 517, S. 29.)
History: 1961 act deleted reference to jurisdictional powers of prosecuting grand jurors and trial justices in Clinton and
Madison.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5097.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5091; P.A. 83-236; P.A. 99-169, S. 4, 7.)
History: P.A. 83-236 gave the Westport Shellfish Commission authority over the taking of shellfish from Saugatuck
Shores; P.A. 99-169 deleted residency as condition for eligibility to obtain a license under this section, effective June
23, 1999.
Cited. 231 C. 418, 425−430, 432, 433, 435. P.A. 83-236 cited. Id.
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(1949 Rev., S. 5076, 5109, 5113; P.A. 89-321, S. 11, 12.)
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(1949 Rev., S. 5108.)
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