OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AU5TlN
Oame, Fish and Oyster Cozafssloz~
Austin, Texas
In your letter of
opinion of this depwtmnt
Regubr sassion, 46th Legir
t shall be unlavful, in
UN vaters of co tOr8 Of fhWri8OA and
IUion Counties t to take any g8ae fish
d-lag the peri 15th OS any year. After
POVlding penalt provlslo~~ of the Aot,
tb Aot provider sht as herein used doe5
definition or the temn ‘game fish.”
tul coastruatlon that it cannot be understood, either
mm the language in vhlah it ia expressed or from
8ame other vrfttea lav of’ the Stat4.m (Tex. Jur. Vol.
12, pp. 228-229.)
A 3.~ mat provide 8cme standard for d5termln.W vhether
Qt aat la arinrioal or not, Ond It must be so~fraraed that the
MMana upon vhom it is to operate tn%ybe able to lam in advance
45:
Game, fish and Oyster Comni~elon, Page 2
r&z; vritten statute vbat act8 or amlssiocs 8re thu8 msde
. Tex. JLU’. Vol. 12, p. 230.
Thus Uvs zs’klng It an offense “nmilesely’ to kill
an anizial (clmir v, X&o, 100 Cr. Rap. 147, 300 3.Y. 64), to
fall to bnive a vehicle ti a careful m8nnar vith due regard for
the safety and convenience of others (Russell v. State, 08.C~.
Rep. 512, 220 3.3. 556), to operate a vehlale In excess of a
certsin speeti at a rtilroad crossing “vhere the vlev of said
crossl.4 18 obsaured” (0. R. & 3. A. Rallvsy Ca. v. Duty (Cam.
or A’,p.T , 277 S.W. 105771, or on the etreats OS a city vbers the
coatlguou3 territory 1s “closely built ~3’ (Zx ;mte Camigaan,
92 Cr. Re?. 309, 244 33. GO!+), have boon hsld invalid for lack
. ol aortainty.
It 1s clear that in paselq Iiouse Bill 336, the Legi3-
bture vas not lnteodlng to prohibit the taking of all Siah.
It intended, abvlaruly, to prohibit the taking only of’ those
fish knovn as “game floh.’ Laoldng to the lexicographer ior
a deflnltlon of the term “v fish,” la the absence of a
deflnltian provided by the Legislature, we l’M that the term
18 applied to “the various floh considered vorthy of pursuit
b 8POl't8EOA." Webeter~ 8 Rev Intom%tlonal Dlatlonary, 2nd Rd.
It 1s our underet,azUng that eportsnen consider a
fish to be game it ho vlll take artlfioial lures.
Relther the dictionary definition
nor the definition
@f the qortsmen has any of the elements
of rossamble aeHalnty.
Ai~lying the diatlomry doflnltlon, the barefoot boy vho, flsh-
’ bs vlth rude pole, hook and Ilno, vlth vorms for bslt, or the
sFaztanz%n fishing vlth ultra-nadern equipment and artlftcial
i 1-i. vhen he catches a fish, must esk hlntself’ tvo quostione,
p&;zeI ff s~rts9Bn?n snd second, it the anever 18 in the
I]0 sportamen aonslder the fish vblah I have ju8t
-9ght vortiy of pursuit?”
Applying the sportmen’s dofln.ltlOA, If tho barefOOt
&Y catches a fish, usfig vorim lop bait, he must ask hipsOlf
b qUostIoa.vhether thst flrrh vould have rleen to ti artlfl-
‘ihe elements of aertalntg are a8 wholly laa’klng in
zi i%ei8 they vore In the lsv vhlah requlrod a person operat-
bs a vehicle on the streets of a city to gauge hle speed aaoord-
* t0 whether or not he deterziaed that the terPltory thrOUgh
-ah be ~0s drlvlng vaa “cloeely built up.”
~a;aa, blah and Gyotor COdSSiOn, PcI~s 3
WJ rind co help in our examination of the lava of the
state u?on the subject. .?athSr, the I?Xittsr 1s thFOVA lAt0
further confusion. The 45th Leglslaturo, at its Zegular 3osslon,
psssd Xouse Jill 20. 18, prohlbltlng tho tnklng of any game
fish "a3 de.iXnod in this Act” ln the counties of Ilarrison and
!:arlon in the Stats of Texas, durlns the months OP Zwch and
h;rll of each yam. In that Act, the term “gems fish”, “as
that tom la wed in this Act,” it vas provided, “shall be held
and deazsd to man, asbrace and include al?a?pia and/or vhito
?3rch, large-i;lauth black bass, and ezbll-miith blwk ‘Jam.”
In House 3111 ::o. 8C4, ~?.szed by the sane Lq$slature,
;rovfdlng for the regulation of the kesplng, rapound.ln& con-
flnlng md tmnsgorting of g-0 fish in Harriso.? aad Xmlon
Camtim, the term “gaze fl~h,” as used in that Act, it vas
,provlded, mbrscsd and included azspple and/or white perzh, largo-
zouth black &ss, mall-zouth bla5k bass, vhlte bsss, y&low bass,
ad goggls-sye and brews.
Apparently ths 46th Legislature, in {aming House Bill
30. 386, contemplated that the tSrz “game fleh as used In
Eou.98 13111 Ro. 3116, should be broader and more lnoluslvs than
sithar of the’derlnltlons oontainsd in the Aote just referred
ta, for, vhereas swh Acts madokio rstersnae vhatsoever to
striped base, House Bill iio. 3% spoclflcally excludes fro3 its
msning 3’ the tern “game fish,” se used In House Bill Xo. 385,
stripad base.
It Is lzuposelbl~ to asaertaln, vlth any degree of
csrtainty, by the use of tbs ordinary m8ne of construatlon, just
pt mewll n# the L-sglelaturs lntsnded to attribute ta the term
as used in House Bill Ro. 3% We rmst therefore
k%st%hihs Aat is invalid, for want of &rtainty.
Yours very truly
ATTORXEYGEXZRALOF TEXAS