The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is using a big gun to mark the 145th anniversary of the Natural Resources Police.
They're putting an "oyster cannon" on display Tuesday at the Baltimore Visitors Center.
The cannon dates to 1868. It was installed on a steam-powered patrol boat to help protect the Chesapeake Bay oyster beds from overfishing by watermen from Maryland, Virginia and other states.
The State Oyster Police Force was the forerunner of the Natural Resources Police. The Department of Natural Resources acquired the cannon in 2010 and has displayed it at the Annapolis Maritime Museum.
It will be at the Baltimore Visitors Center through April.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
