Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

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' $ziAAA4m ATTORNEY GENERAL OE;TiiXA$