Case Information

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 oan recelvtid by this department. we quote f

iea are violated In the. proBdl*B(tD, venon*'s Anno- ef tha Stnte of Texea, ior th6 %Oqllb3itiOll ad further 5ermn pmtiea unlawful i"arsngpersontohunt, t8kt9, drwtxoy, Or in 6IXy , kill, 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.chagker shall be de-d in;uilty of a ;Afsdeaeancw; upon oawiotion ahellbe flned not less then &30.00,.nor ES- thsn %X%00.

Honorable 3. B, Buohana& JY,, %s E

"Any person entering and treqaselng on the grounds of any Btate Siish hatchery 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 oharcs Of suah reservation, shal ^[01] ths Caermiseioner or Deputy ln be fined not lass than ~10.00, Ml? nlnrs than B 1?5.00.

"The opinion given ?io the above qusntlon based upon the two stcitutes oltod abovo was, in sffeot; that ln all probabllfty under 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 @IDIS pressrve 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$on of the State gt*~ne Ccanmlssioner or Deputy In oharge of the resritiction bafow entranoe upon suoh mseroetlon-would be l-1.

This opinion was given. In full oognlzanoe of the f'riat that a fish is defined as a verts%ratti animal, hut with the bellof that it xas not thn intantion of the Lbgislaturs to 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 oration owning and ln poosassaion, of ianas in ths 3 ti-a.63 OS Texas, may transfer by an lnstrumsnt of writing, duly aoknawledWI berow an offfaer, tiuthorised under the laws of this State to take aoknasrledgaents, ti the 3tati of Texas the right tC1 preserve, protest and introduoe for propagation purposee any of the game birds game &&~E&I mentioned in this ohapter on the lends xx%ntloned thersln, for a period of not lens than ten years* 3uah instm- mont wrltlng shall bc filed in the oifiae of the Game, Fish and Oyster ~ommissionsr, whereupon the "ame, Fish and Oyster Ccmmissloner *3 iIonorfible s. 33. m~ohanan, Jr., PagO S

mug ut hln disaretion dea3.tma the lands desarlbed in l:ald lnatrument a %,ute Game Preserve, snQ tflernafter for the porlod nemed therein shall for all the purpooes relating to tho preserva- tian, protection und propagation of 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 fluoh oounty. Guch preserve8 shall he nurabelc OQ In tho order of the Xlllnff of the ineON- mont therefor. The Game, Fish nnd Oyfher hall onuse notlaes to'be re- QWm.l~aioner Wmid oontaininll( the words *8%&e C%UR~ Fro- nerve,' Trespaaein~ Prohibited,' end OEIUNI mah notloes to he posted at erioh &y&e or thereto. All Sttnte gnlae pree.ervas mm44 entabllshsd under tho provisiona of this adapter shall for all plrpO808 Ot ptiB4XVa~ tlon, proteotLon ona 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‘of their 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 uttme animals within the exterior bounda- rlar of any game preserve, ana any person *rllo r&all violate any provlalon of 'this ohap- ter shall be dearned E;uilty of a niat!t4meanor ma upon conviotlon ehalL 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. - Ang person enterinll:.ann treepaosing on the firQUndu of any Rote. ilah hatahel)r or on the i5roUndn sot 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 fish and @Xa8 in htOh8~. =~teoti~ -

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 pxopagation Or exhibition pur- 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 oOzl68nt Of -8r. - Whoever shall take, oatah, emmare or'trap cay fish by l58898 Of net5 OF 68iIl8S Or bo 9Oi6Olt- by u68 Of any mpl0SiV8; or III&, p,OuUting, by muddylw, ditahlni: draining in any &3k8, pool or.pohd in any oauaty in this Stcta w$th- out t$,hs.aonaent .of tha 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 at3 fOllOw13: "Entering inoloaed land to hunt 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..oatah or 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:forSelturs of his he&w- lioense end tho rlxht to hunt In thit 3tate of Texss for a period of one yeer from the datr'of his oonviation. By 'inclosed lands* 58 meant

Ronornble S. B. Buohanan, Fr., .J'aue 5

ouch 1unAn ~88 or0 in we for agr%xlture ~rae- ing mrpoees or for any other purpose, and ln- closed by en? struoture for ?enoing either of mod iron or oombinafion thereof, or wood end wl?e, or pertly by water 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;ing or 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+e oents 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 pArovid8d further thie exe~ptloa shall exltzt ?or a period of on8 year ?rofa the date ol' the lvoei'pt of au.& -sum or sum of Iuon8y.

@Sea. 2. hy pertron iound upoa the ln3 olousd 'Lands of another wlthuut the owner*8 ooneent shell be subjeot to arrest @ any peW38 effiaer, and, such arl'efSt IWAy be B&8 without warrent of ezeet."

* “.3tWI8’ 86 her8 k8d refers to animals earn- manly no alaLaael?led - the term inoluding not only four-rooted mama18 but also Mxds and water ?owla, This artiale naoord5.&iy treat0 of the property right in suah animals, the rS.@t ~to hunt them the oontrol and repplation of hunting, the aa i R and disposal a? them, 0ff81u38a agninst the gca8 &LWS, and O? th8 pr8se3TatlOIl, prOteoti0 and propagation of gRme+ Animals generally espeolal- 'i" ly .aontestlo animala), the destruotion of predatory .enimels, end tish end, ilehlng regulationa are

the subjeots of indep8ndenttrealment. . . .= 20 Tex. hr., neit. 1, ppe BBli-6.

TlTJm tm *fish* is here ueed'in~ite g8lWria eense, as being desarlpt~ivs o? marina life &Tel+ erally, lnolud$r16 oyetera,'ofame, ehrimp, ex'ab8, *6 Honorable S, B, Buchanan, Jr., Fage 6

terrapins, me law conaernlng animals In general, food, ves- turtles, etc. . - Other articles present ..~ I sels, and waters find navigation . . .*' 19 'Per.

Jur., 880, 1, p. 688.

The Texas Legislature has enacted many seperate, voluminous and oomprehenslve statutes relating to ilsh, to game animals aa to genie bi,ras. It ls.the oplnlon of t&is Uepsrtmnt thatwhere the Legislature has 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 respeotfully advised that it ia the opinion of this department that you tie oorreot In your interpretation of thti questlcQ, You are, therefore, res- peetfully,aavisea that it is the opinion of this department that if a person I&O aeslres.to fish has the permtision of the private owners of the land within the extexior.br&&la+ ries Of the gclne preserve to enter upon the land snd~ fish, and that such pax-Bon has the petission df the State'Qems Oommisaloner or the deputy in sharge of ths res8rratlon to enter upon euoh. reservation end fish,.and that hone of the pools or portions of the streams iromwhleh the fish are taken are set aside as fish hatcaherles or sanofuaries, and Further provided that none of the general, law8 Of the State and, nose of the special laws applicable to 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 oiroumstanaes and oo@itions.

%'rUStillg that this SatiSfaOtOrily aIkSiVeT8 JrOUr question, and with best regards, we are

very truly yours GFSIIZRAI. OF TEXAS AlTOm WJF:G~~~~~~ UC 26, 1939'

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ATTORNEY GENERAL OE; TiiXA$