No boat or vessel shall be operated in the catching or taking of shellfish from any of the natural beds under the tidal waters of the Delaware River, Delaware Bay and their tributaries, in this State, while equipped with more than two dredges at any one time. No dredging shall be permitted within the beds, creeks and rivers, described in R.S. 50:3-14, with the exception of the Cohansey River and the lands under the waters of Delaware Bay in the section known as Areas 1, 2 and 3, described in R.S. 50:1-23.
Shellfish may be caught and taken from the Cohansey River and Areas 1, 2, and 3 by means of such boats and dredges beginning at 6:00 Ante Meridian Standard Time, quitting at 2:30 Post Meridian Standard Time Monday through Friday during the months of May and June, subject to the power of the Shellfisheries Council, by rule or regulation, to prohibit the taking or catching of shellfish in such manner from any of those beds and for such time as, in the judgment of the council, may be necessary in order to close the beds for purposes of conservation.
N.J.S. § 50:3-6