208
r
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Honorable Wa. J. fuaker
Executlro Siomtalrf
"Oam. Plrh L 0mt.r Comlrulon
dstia, *Pair -
Dur Slrr
84 por8oa to rell,
la him po8u88io5,
5y tloundep of Ia than tvolre
n;l poqt850' or k88 tlnn 515a
5~ asokepel of le88 tbstafour-
teen lnohw in length, 8n4 any ult vster &aft-
topsail of lure than elmea laaher In lea&h.
Yhe pl888 of ule 0~ oSt8rl5g for ulo OP
po88e88lorrrhall,SOP the purpore of t&l8 ob8ptsP
to establish ve5u0, ba 8lthep the DbUO fpom Thiob
such firh 8~0 8hi ped, op vhorethe ri8hare four&
OP offered fa r u Pl. r t 8hallk lu!ll8*su1 i5 roll-
ing m olferlng for 8810 8ay flsh larntioaod 15 thlr
-. 209
Booopablo WI. J. twker, p8go 2
WtiQlS t0 SeVOP tb h-d fPOa th8 body, NOSpt
to 0aSS Oi the redfish @Ud Wil8h la rhloh a&@
ttm head ah811 oal bo rowred th~ou& the gill-
Wvlty and the 611 I:-fiM S&11 ra8815 05 the body
0s 8uOh P~dflah'OP Wtfiah. Swh hesd~err body of
8 PedfiSh ShSll Wt Y48UPO WPS Lb85 tW.lrtJ-Sore5
inoh 15 1856th, Md SUOh hUdl888 body Of 8 Wt-
fl8h till 5Ot mauP 1.88 than 0 t iaOh88 15
185gth; sad all fish npketod OP as Natloned
la thl8 SPtlOk, mUEt ba relghed urd &Old with the
hud U&m&d, .XOept PadfiSh l&d Wtil8h l8 MI%-
tloaad herela.
“&Q
WPSOa ViOhtm l5J Of th8 pOdSi
Or thl8 8rtlale Sba11 k dumb Of 8 518-
dew&nor srd up00 oo5vlotlon ah8 fllud a SUB
not le88 tha to5 (#lO.OO) doll8Pr DOP PLOP. t&a5
fifty ($50.00) dOlhP8.”
seati le Oi APti 941, t.581 coda, l8 tOi-
P.& d&
1OWSC
"Rovlded, that it skll ba unlbvlul for say
WPSa t0 t&O, OP h8Ve ia hi8 ~088~88i05 ill t&S
St& W,lnJ &m-&d Ia4 tPOUt Of 1888 lWl&ih th85
twelve l55ha8, 85y rod if&h oi 1088 lmagth th5
trolve lades, OP oi &SSt@P loogth tb8n thirty-
two inaher, Or say drun of lerr length thn el&t
We ~111 first aoa&id&r th8t port105 of fow~requo8t
uhloh PeSdS:
"Srotlon 16 of APtlo 941 porfde8 tbt a11
eonfllatirrghum are PO mled. -8 ruoh repeal
15 85y vsy erieat m.tio L wg? fi 80, 10 WhSt F-
ttOUhr&? YOU Ulii WtS
th4t sSkstiOU18 Of ArtlOle
gkl prorider a else llmlt for brUB, wheraar, Artl-
018 929 dOea Wt Beat105 t&U. It 18 llkerlre true
that Seatloa h of Artiolr 911 does wt m8atiOa
catfish. Many fish duleP8 15 this
(pfi-t.ODSSll,
2iO
BoaOPSb& Um. J. Tucker, pge 3
State bme bellered that Sectloa la pre them l
Pi&it to Out up fish, commodly c8ll.d flllotl~
fish, and have such filleted fish for eels la their
place of bUSh888 SO long b8 the fish, before be-
2n.gdPe88ed end filleted, met the pre8cribed else
P88tPlCtlOll8. I? Artlale 929 pPOhlblt8 the flllet-
lly of fish mentioned la r&id Artlele, dOe8 StthSr
A$t;gl;T29 or Artlole 941prohibit the f~lletlng
It la 8 rettlod prlnelpal of Ur t&t tha k&t lx-
~e8#105 O? th, Vi.U be tiV85 effect. That a5 Act
lSV-Wker&
that f8 &tel’ 15 WiQt Of ttW 005trOl8, Mm818 OP 8~PSedSS
a5 urllrr Act l~oiar l8 tb two bpe i5COU8l8tCIlt l5d lp-
reoolrolleble. 39 Tex. Jur., 139. 8iUOe Section le 18 8
ht.P eJ9PO88iOU Oi tb &giS P;ture than Article 929, it will
therofore coatrol where there la say coaillot.
Artlo& 93 &WOVid88 among other thin@ thtt 18
U5hUiUl t0 haV8 in Olu’S ~08868810li tSrt@iQ S&WhS Of fl8h
under mad over oert8la prescribed lo-he. Section 18 like-
Vi88 plroVld88 th8t it 18 UUhUfld ?O? OM t0 hSV8 15 hi.8 PO&-
&e&&lo5 eertaln 8p0~deS Of ii&h under and over 08rtaIXIpm-
scribed WSSlIFeWUtS. It will be aotlcsd thct the pPe8CPlbed
mia&8We lea@&& of redfish S& &he&phOSdSre 1eSS iIl8eCtiOa
lo thaa ths mlaimum length8 pPesCrlbed lo APtlale 929, 85d la
rccordeaae vlth the rbore announced prlnolpal of tiv, the
lengths of theme fl8h S&t forth In SeCtiOn le will 005trOl
laaofcr aa it 18 8 ViO]ltiOQ for the pO8M88iO5 Of the&e
8p8cie8 0r tmrlae lI?s for private u8e.
It vi11 further be noted thet SeCtlOa 1s Qouhers
provides that It la a vlol8tloa thereunder ror sellI fish
of oertsla leagth8. Therefore, 88 to the sale o? fish, or
hsrirrg fish la 05e’S poa8888lon for sale, the lengths of the
fish Set forth la Artlele g2g cOatrO1.
We ?urther fiad no r&?ereMe in %ctioE 18 to the
rluetirrq or fl8h; thu8 Article 929 provalls a nd as l OoWS-
quest thereof It la davrti to offer for 881~ or lwve in oae's
po&8er&loa ior u1e a5y filleted fl8b Of the SpeCieC -5tlO5ed
in that wtlole. Dpum 18 aot a type of 5U158 lit8 mmtloaed
211
lio5oPebleWm. J. Tuoker, page 4
i0 hTtiCl8 929, SO it h8 50 S~pl~C&tiOU t0 dN5, lkd much
ri8h, or aay other8p8cle8 0s fish not matloaed in Artlale
929 may be fIlleted.
We naxt ConsideP that pert o? xour request uhlah
PUdS l8 ?OilOVSt
'It has bee5 aorrtoadedthat the prori8ioar 0s
Art1018 929, 15 re?ere5ce to relll5g or offerfag
r0r ule rirh natloned ia this Artlale and pohlb-
ltlng the 8e*erfag 0r the head from the body, re-
fers only to the fish that ape mentionedmd t&t
eP8 above or below tin pPe8oPlbed ~I5Uu8 OP nxl-
M 818~~ and tbt it doss not refer to other sm.
Do, iMtSA08, it 18 oonteadedt&t 18 UOtid not be
W&V?ti t0 S&V&r tilehead Of l S~Okbd 8C8 trout
ii 8Wh lM8 Wl’e tbI&
trout t*SlTe (m) i5Ch88 in
length. Tbir 005tentlo5 belrq that Artlals 929
doom not refer to all trout, but o5l7 to cult
mater or 8peakled SU trout 0s 1888 thn tTle1*s
(12) 15chSS. The lavpr, rho l-188r~lred this
qWatlO5, Stat88 thOt the A~tiClS doe3 not epp.1~
to certsla 8peOle8 Of ii&h, but r8ther t0 CerUla
81808 of ii&h 0s oertrrin speole8. Ye should like
t0 bT8 JOUP Op3.5105 l8 t0 th8 VSiiditf Of this
gogole~~m15terpretetlo5 of Artlole 929, Porn1
, .
It 18 0~ oplalonthere is no mrlt la ths ar meat
pre8eated in the &bore quotrtlon. Suah ln wgumat vo J d be
to presume thatthe Leglrl8tureenaated l ureleer
or meaning-
bJ88~OtiSirm, for it vould bo deolerlng ualaurul the sevep-
I* the head 0s a ii&h whiah 18 ualavrul to catoh 15 the fir&t
plaae.
Ue truut the ?oregolr& fully a5suer8 your 15W1l~108.
'ic&r.
TOP7 tPtir 7OUPS
* *
4$ggii* *TToRm ffRasRAL O? TRXAS
&Hk
BY
Robert 0. Koch
RQKrtlb AS&i&t&at