OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Mr.L. 1. Qeren
countyAttorney
tlneetene Deunty
iheae*lt, TMa8
Bear slrr
e very able brief
8 b een
o fl*a l8ta nIe
etter a,0 fellowt
n ‘the oolinty oourt er
5,Tt aha bo wJlawrul for any paWSOB, r1riE
or oorporation, private or mranicijsalto pollute
eny mtter course or other publla body or water,
by throwIn& rpaetin~~ord4porfting, or oanoiag
to be thrown, east or depealted any 0rud8 pstm-
lsne, oil OT other like subatanao timrein, or to
pollute any water course, or other publls bo&y
Mr. L. L. Gervn, Maroh 90, 1959, Pago g
of water, from ahloh vatar is taken for the
we of farm live stook, drlnklng and domartia
purposes, in tha State of Tsxaa, by the dls-
charge, dlrsotly or lndiraotly, of any rswaga
or unolaan water or unolean Or polluting mat-
ter or thing therein or in auoh proximity
thereto as thrrtit vi11 probably raaoh and
pollute the water of suoh water course or
other pub110 body of water iron whioh water
is taken, ror the umsm~of farm live #took,
drinking and domsstia purpoaaa; provided, hov-
erer, that the proririonr of this bill shall
notaffsot any nuntoipal oorporatlon altuated
on tide raters; that i# to gay, uhars the tid.
abbs snd ?las in SUO~ water 6OIWasi prsvlded,
h&waver, that no ofty looatod on, tida water
8hall dlsaharga or permit to bs disohargod
#everago, oil or any other sfflusnts into pub-
110 tlds vaterm of thfr Pltatewhen euoh die
ohargs will bsooms a mena to or andangsrs
the oyoter bads or Ziah life ia suoh uater8,
or whsa suoh disaharga beoamu a msnaoa to
the bathing plaoed in 8uah watara; and pro-
vided further that drain ditahas, vhers warts
011 find8 its way into water dour808 or publla
bodies of vater, ohall bo @quipped 81th trap8
of sufriolsnt oapaoitr to armat ths flew of
Oil. In 80 Snr a8 oonoarnn the pr0teotlon of
fish and oysty, the Mama, Fllrhand Oyster
ColamisPioner, or his deputies, may hato jurir-
diotion in the sixforosmantof this ehaptor.
A violation of any of the prmlalons of thl#
ohaptsr shall bs punished by a fins of not
less than ens hundred dollars and not more
than one thousand dollara. When ths offsnsa
shsll have been aommltted by a~firm, partnsr-
ship or aasooiation, eaoh mombar thereof who
has knowlsdgs of the QOfAViS8iOn Of auoh Of-
fense, shall be hold guilty, When,omitted
by a private oorporatloa, tha offioers aad
membersof the bcnrd of dirsstora, having
knowledge of the oozem~rrfonof such orfmnaa,
shsll each ba deemed guilty; aad vhen by a
munialpal oorporatlon the mayor and sash awnbar
Mr. L. L. Germ, Karoh 30, 19X7, Page S
ol ttm boerd of aldermen or co:mis8fon, having
knowledge of the ocmmleelon of euch offense,
as the case may be, shall be held guilty as
rspraeentatives of the munloipality; and aaoh
person do indioated a8 above shall be subjeot
to the punie!wmnt provided herelnbefore; pro-
vided, however, that the payment of the fine by
one of the persons so named ahall be n aetis-
faotion of the penalty aa against his assooiat6a
for the orfanse for whioh ho may hove been oon-
vfoted. Eaoh day auoh pollution is knonlngly
oaussd or permitted shall oonstltute a separate
offense; provided, the grorlsions of this artl-
ale ehall not apply to any plaae or pramisss of
sanufecturfng plants whose afilaente aontain
no organio matter that will putrify, or any
poisonous oompounds, or any baoterla dangerour
to publfo health or deatruotlve of the ?ish
life of streams or other pub110 bodies of
water.
L-Offlus :t Cam, Fish and Oyster Corn-
miesionor was aboliehed and powera, duties
and ?uno!lons transferred to Game, Fish and
Oyster Ccmml8a~loa. se. Art101e 978?, post.'
Arttole 949 of tho aode of Criminal Proasdure
providers:
honey oolleated by an officer upon
reoognissanoea,bail bond8 and other obliga-
tiooa rsoovared upon in the noms o? the State
under any provi8ion a? this Code, and all
tinea, forieltures, judgment6 and jury feef~,
collcoted under any provision o? thfs Sods,
shall forthwith ba,paid over by the ofiioers
oolleoting the name to the oounty treasurer
of the proper Bounty, arter first deduoting
therefrom the ls$al fee8 and ooamissfons ?or
collecting the same.*
Article 912 o? the Panel Code made! a8 follorst
*It shall be the duty of any juatioa Of
the pesos, olerk of any oourt, or any other
of-ricer of thisState, r6osiring any rins or
BBr. L. L. Germ, Maruh 30, 1939, Page 4
penalty imposed by any oourt for violation
of nny of the laws of this State, pertainin?
tc the protectl~a and conservation of wild
birds, wild fowl, wild animals, fish, oysters,
and other wild life, within ten days from and
after thr;reaelpt or oolleotlon of suohilno
or penalty, to remit same to the Gome, Piah
ana Oyster Commiseion at huetin, givinfl aooket
number af oasc, name of person flr,ed,and
section or erticle of the law under whioh oonvlo-
tlon was scoured, when suoh laws are required
to be enfo>-tedby the Game, Fish ant,Oyeter
Comlission."
Artiole 4085, Retieed Civil Statutes, real8
*a iollws:
*Of all finss oolleated for infraotlon
of the fish and oyster law8, ten per oent
shall go to the proseouting attorney, and
the residue thereof ehall go to the general
fund of this State. All funds aolleated
by deputy aosuaisslonsroalong the ooast for
register aertlfio*tee, 11oen8e8, and rents for
Locating private oyster beda, and such other
charges relating to the fish and oyster laws
as may be presoribed, shall be by suah depu-
ties paid over weekly to the Covmissloner,
who Inturn ahall deposit the same monthly
in the state Treasury to the credit of the
general revenue fund.*
A oopy of the original informatiou whioh la
attached to your inquiry contains three counts, all
baaed upon various portions of krtiole 698 of the
Penal zoae. The first oount aharges generally the
pewtion of the 3avasota Eliverby aesting, etc.,
polluting matters therein. The seoond oount chargea
a pollution of the Savasota River and further alleger
that 8ome river weter was then and there taken for the
use of farm live etock and for drinking and domeetlo
purposes and the thtmd oount ahergee the failure of
defendant to equip end maintain his drain ditohes with
proper traps. There is no allegation in the information
that the alleged pollution was harmful to aquatio life
or marine organisms. \Vedo not find any allegatlon whloh
Mr. L. L. Ceren, Maroh,SO, 1939, Page S
we oan oonstrue as an infraation of the Game and Oyster
Laws or any OS the laws of this state pertaining to the
protection and conservation OS wild birda, wild fowl,
wild animals, fish, oysters anG other wild life.
:re think that the provisions of’Artiole 698,
Fenal Code, tyivingto the Came, Fish ana Oyster Commission
juriadlotlon in the enioroement of this chapter insofar
ae it oonoerns the proteation oS Sleh and oysters, by
inference, denies to that department juriedlotlon in the
enlorcsment of that ohapter ineofar as it does not oon-
oern the protection OS fish and oysters.
krtiale 949, Code of Criminal Proaedum, lp r a ,
la the general law laid down by the Legislature oorering
the dispoeltion OS Sines oolleotsd by an oifloer and
should be followed in the absuuos of any statutes pertln-
ent to the proseaution &n question. Wo have been uuablo
to find any statutes under whioh the Commission is mak-
ing Its olaim for 90$ of the Sines now in your oustody.
We oonalude that euch claim la based upon Artiole 4025,
Revised Civil Statutes of Texae, Artlole 9s-tof the
Penal Code and Artiale 698a of the Penal Code.
Artiole 698e ot the Penal Code provldee for the
remission OS fines aolleoted thereunder to the Commission.
This Article is separate and distinot from Artiole 699
of the Penal Code and differs materially therefrom in the
orlminal acts it seeks to prohibit. We are of the ogin-
ion that the provisions in Art.1019098a providing for the
remission oSfines Lmpoaed for vlolatione of that act
to the Game , Pish and Oyster Comalsaion has no applloa-
tion to Si!leaimposed for violations of Artiole 698 OS
the Penal Code.
Aftor an examination of Artiale 698 of the
Penal Code, we find that t3ia statute sets forth and de-
Sims several different criminal offenses and find only
one provision whioh oan be oonetrued as a fish and
oyeter law or provision pertaining to the proteotlon
and oonaerveticn o:fwild birda, wild fowl, wild ahiaals,
fish, oysters and other wild life. Thut provision is:
"That no oity located on the tide water
Er. I..L. Germ, ?Aareh30, 1939, Page 6
shall discharge or permit to be disoharged
sewerage, oil or any other effluents Into
pub110 tide water8 of this Stats when suah
discharge will become a menaoe to or on&an-
pars the otster beds or fish life in suoh
waters....C
The infomatlon does not expressly or by In-
ference charge e vlolatfon of the above quoted provi-
81cr.*
:
ln view of the foregoing statutes, you are
respeotfully advised that it la the opinion of this
Department that money oolleeted as fines &a' oaaea pro-
aeouted under krtiole 698 of the Penal Cede should be
deposited with the County Treaeurer In the county *hera
auoh oaaea are tried after deduotlon of the legal faa8
and ooncnIesIonsellowad foroolleoting the aama and
that the &me, Fish and Oyster ComsAesIon Is not an-
tltled to sny part of suoh fines exoept in aasea when
there Is a viol&Ion of the Wee and Fish Lawe and the
oomplaint and fnformatlon ia filed oharglng auoh riola-
ti one.
Trusting that the for*gofne answera your in-
quiry, we relaaln
Very truly youre
BJw/G2i..IA
Ardell "illfans
hsel.atant