57
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTlN
Honorable S.B. J3a&a~n, Jr.
county ilttormy
Val Verde Qmaty
-1 Rio, ‘i'srae
Your requeet P by this
oan recelvtid
department. we quote f
iea are violated In the.
proBdl*B(tD,
venon*'s Anno-
ef tha Stnte of Texea,
ior th6 %Oqllb3itiOll
5ermn ad further pmtiea
unlawful i"arsngpersontohunt,
, kill,
t8kt9, drwtxoy, Or in 6IXy
any Of the g%m3 biras or @iam anl-
mals t&thin the exterior baundnriea of any &eas
pzesenes, nnd any pernon who ehnll violate anp
provlelon of thle.chagkershall be de-d in;uilty
of a ;Afsdeaeancw;upon oawiotion ahellbe flned
not less then &30.00,.norES- thsn %X%00.
Honorable 3. B, Buohana& JY,, %s E
"Any person entering and treqaselng on the
grounds of any Btate Siishhatchery or on the
@-oUQS Oet SSlQs by the mat.6 for the propa@-
tlon and keeping of blres end animal8 with0ut
the ~e~11~610n 01 ths Caermiseioneror Deputy ln
oharcs Of suah reservation,shal be fined not
lass than ~10.00, Ml? nlnrsthan B1?5.00.
"The opinion given ?iothe above qusntlon
based upon the two stcitutesoltod abovo was, in
sffeot; that ln all probabllftyunder Artiols
917 it would not be a violation oi the law to
take floh rrom a pool or stream within the boun-
daries ot a @IDISpressrve assumlnR that none of
the pools or portlona of the etrsams from whlah
they were taken wsrs set aside as fish h&ohs&es
OS aanotuarles,but on the othar.hand,under
Artlols 973a It would hs neoeesary to obtain
the psrmlee$onof the State gt*~ne Ccanmlssioner
or Deputy In oharge of the resritiction bafow
entranoe upon suoh mseroetlon-would be l-1.
This opinionwas given.In full oognlzanoe of
the f'riatthat a fish is defined as a verts%ratti
animal, hut with the bellof that it xas not
thn intantionof the Lbgislatursto make it
a vlolat.lon OS the law tb take or oatoh fish
from waters within a game prsserve a8 defined
in hrtlale 919."
Art1010 917, Penal cods of Texas, read&as follows:
"&me preeesvem - hew aoqulrsd. - Any per-
f3on,rim or 00 oration owning and ln poosassaion,
of ianas in ths3 ti-a.63
OS Texas, may transfer by
an lnstrumsntof writing, duly aoknawledWI
berow an offfaer, tiuthorised under the laws of
this State to take aoknasrledgaents, ti the 3tati
of Texas the right tC1preserve, protest and
introduoe for propagationpurposee any of the
game birds or game &&~E&Imentioned in this
ohapter on the lends xx%ntlonedthersln, for a
period of not lens than ten years* 3uah instm-
mont or wrltlng shall bc filed in the oifiae
of the Game, Fish and Oyster ~ommissionsr,
whereupon the "ame, Fish and Oyster Ccmmissloner
s. 33.m~ohanan,
iIonorfible Jr., PagO S
mug ut hln disaretion dea3.tmathe lands desarlbed
in l:aldlnatrumenta %,ute Game Preserve, snQ
tflernafter for the porlod nemed therein shall
for all the purpooes relating to tho preserva-
tian, protectionund propagationof tyme birds
nnc\~+e animals be under the oontrol of'the
(he, Fish and Oyster %mml6eioner,~ The
a~mxg:r~t,e aorenge of all preeer~ee which may
ba desweted in anp one aountp shall never
4Xoeed ten per cent of the total aore% of
fluohoounty. Guch preserve8 shall he nurabelc
OQ In tho order of the Xlllnffof the ineON-
mont therefor. The Game, Fish nnd Oyfher
QWm.l~aioner hall onuse notlaes to'be re-
Wmid oontaininll( the words *8%&e C%UR~Fro-
nerve,' Trespaaein~ Prohibited,'end OEIUNI
mah notloes to he posted at erioh&y&e or
mm44 thereto. All Sttntegnlae pree.ervas
entabllshsd under tho provisiona of this
adapter shall for all plrpO808 Ot ptiB4XVa~
tlon, proteotLonona propaafitlon ot game
blrae and game anfmale thereon be under the
OmHa-ol ena mment ai'the &me, Flab and
Oyster Commissioner,and he ana hia doputles
mar at all times enter in and upon mmh pr4-
se~eo ln the ~erformanoe‘oftheir duties.
"It shall be u.L&wrul iOx any person to
hlmt, pursue, shoot at, kill, take, destroy,
or In any manner molest any of the game birds
ox uttmeanimals within the exterior bounda-
rlar of any game preserve, ana any person
*rllo
r&all violate any provlalon of 'thisohap-
ter shall be dearnedE;uiltyof a niat!t4meanor
ma upon conviotlonehalL he itied not less
than fifty ($!50;0@)dollars nor mre,than
two hum%+! ~$~OO.OO)dollare."
Art&jle 97@j,Pep,,l
Code or Texas, mad8 as follow6~
Trespass on hatdhery or ren4rvatlon.-
treepaosing
Ang person enterinll:.ann on the
firQUnduof any Rote. ilah hatahel)ror on the
i5roUndnsot apart by'the Gtatn ,fo:tha pro-
W
Honorable 3. 8. ~Bu*ha&l, Jr., Pa@3 4
pagetlon and keeping of birds and anlmala,with-
out the per&anion of the Camisaioner or deputy
in charge of suoh reservation,shall.be ilned
sot lens than ten nor more than twenty-five
dollars.W
Article 978b, Revised Civil 2tatutes.L@&axas, reads
+s roll0wa1
=~teoti~ fish and @Xa8 in htOh8~. -
Rioever shall take, injure or kill any fish kept
by the Stnte in its hatoherien,or any bird or
anLza1 kept by the State on its reservation~rolnlds
or elmwhere for pxopagationOr exhibitionpur-
posea, shall be fined not leas than fifty nor
POWI than two hundred dollars&."
&%iO18 925, Penal Code of %xaa, reads as follmsl
"%kln~ fish without oOzl68ntOf -8r. -
Whoever shall take, oatah, emmare or'trap cay
fish by l58898Of net5 OF 68iIl8SOr bo 9Oi6Olt-
III&, p,OuUting, or by u68 Of any mpl0SiV8; or
by muddylw, ditahlni:or draining in any &3k8,
pool or.pohd in any oauaty in this Stcta w$th-
out t$,hs.aonaent.oftha owner of suoh I.&e, pool
or pond, chal1 be finod not 18aa than ten-nor
mom than on8 hundrad dollars. In proaoautlolul
hereunder the hurden to prove suoh oonsent shall
be upon the derendont.
Ayt,i,c&j
1377, renal bde af T823As,read6 at3fOllOw13:
"Entering inoloaed land to hunt or fish. -
Whoever ohall enter upon the lnolosed land of
another without the aonaent oi the owner, pro-
prietor OP asent In oP&r@ thamof, and therein
hunt with iireanra or thereon..oatahor take
or sttenpt to antoh ox take unr fish from ang
pOXId,1ak8, tank Or 6tT8S?fI,
Or in any OlannQr
depredate upon th8 mim, shall ba gullty.of a
n&demeanor, end upon aenviatio~ thereof, rh+Jl
bs fined enp sum not lses than $10&Q nor nore
than $200.00 and by a:forSeltursof his he&w-
lioense end tho rlxht to hunt In thit3tate of
Texss for a period of one yeer from the datr'of
his oonviation. By 'inclosedlands* 58 meant
61
Ronornble S. B. Buohanan, Fr., .J'aue
5
ouch 1unAn ~88 or0 in we for agr%xlture or ~rae-
ing mrpoees or for any other purpose, and ln-
closed by en? struoture for ?enoing either of
mod or iron or oombinafionthereof, or wood
end wl?e, or pertly by water or streexn, oanyon,
bruoh, rock or rocks, bluffs or Ieland. Proa?
of ownership or lease nay be made by par01
tectlmony. rrovided, however that this hot
shall not apply to inolosod lands whioh are
rented or leased ?or hunt;ingor fishing or
emping privile@m whera the owner, pmprie-
tor, or asent In aharq'or any peruon for hira
by any and every means has reaeivod or oozl-
traoted to reaeive more than twenty-?l+eoents
per aare per year on any part o? a year for
euoh hunting, ?ishing or camplq prlvlls(Jee,
or where nore than $4.00 per day per person
is aharged ?or mob huntIn& ?itMng or
oamping privilegea. And pArovid8dfurther
thie exe~ptloa shall exltzt?or a period of
on8 year ?rofathe date ol'the lvoei'pt of
au.&-sum or sum of Iuon8y.
@Sea. 2. hy pertroniound upoa the ln3
olousd 'Landsof another wlthuut the owner*8
ooneent shell be subjeot to arrest @ any
peW38 effiaer, and,such arl'efSt
IWAybe B&8
without warrent of ezeet."
* “.3tWI8’ 86 her8 k8d refers to animals earn-
manly no alaLaael?led - the term inoludingnot only
four-rootedmama18 but also Mxds and water ?owla,
This artiale naoord5.&iytreat0 of the property
right in suah animals, the rS.@t ~tohunt them
the oontrol and repplation of hunting, the aaiR
and disposal a? them, 0ff81u38a agninst the gca8
&LWS, and O? th8 pr8se3TatlOIl, prOteoti0 and
propagationof gRme+ Animals generally'i" espeolal-
ly .aontestlo animala), the destruotionof predatory
.enimels,end tish end,ilehlng regulationaare
the subjeots of indep8ndenttrealment. . . .=
20 Tex. hr., neit.1, ppe BBli-6.
TlTJmtm *fish* is here ueed'in~iteg8lWria
eense, as being desarlpt~ivso? marina life &Tel+
erally, lnolud$r16oyetera,'ofame,ehrimp, ex'ab8,
Honorable S, B, Buchanan, Jr., Fage 6
terrapins,
..~ law
I turtles, etc.
. - Other articles present
me conaernlng animals In general, food, ves-
sels, and waters findnavigation . . .*' 19 'Per.
Jur., 880, 1, p. 688.
The Texas Legislaturehas enacted many seperate,
voluminous and oomprehenslvestatutes relating to ilsh, to
game animals aa to geniebi,ras. It ls.the oplnlon of t&is
Uepsrtmnt thatwhere the Legislaturehas enaoted a oompre-
henslve law dealing with."game animals* and *game birds*
that it did not *tend to include the term *flshn within
the definition of wgame anlmalR.
Therefore, you are respeotfullyadvised that it ia
the opinion of this departmentthat you tie oorreot In your
interpretationof thti questlcQ, You are, therefore, res-
peetfully,aaviseathat it is the opinion of this department
that if a person I&O aeslres.tofish has the permtisionof
the private owners of the land within the extexior.br&&la+
ries Of the gclnepreserve to enter upon the land snd~fish,
and that such pax-Bonhas the petission df the State'Qems
Oommisaloneror the deputy in sharge of ths res8rratlon to
enter upon euoh.reservationend fish,.and that hone of the
pools or portions of the streams iromwhleh the fish are
taken are set aside as fish hatcaherlesor sanofuaries,and
Further provided that none of the general,law8 Of the State
and,nose of the special laws applicableto euoh ootmty are
violated in the catching or taking of the fish, thin under
bush condltlcms,such pereon wuld not violata ths.law, and
soul& legally fish under such oiroumstanaesand oo@itions.
%'rUStillg
that this SatiSfaOtOrilyaIkSiVeT8
JrOUr
question,and with best regards, we are
very truly yours
AlTOm GFSIIZRAI.
OF TEXAS
WJF:G~~~~~~ UC 26, 1939'
$ziAAA4m
ATTORNEY GENERAL OE;TiiXA$
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion