Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1944 )

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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Ronorabla Rorm Doryhty, Jr.
COurh~ Attora*r
Uvudo COula~
UIIl68, ?*abr
Dur Sir:
Tou rubrit tha
1 rt8terat lr rupplo8entod aa fol-
built upon 8 amok or rlough.
or #lough hoadr a nubor of lnor
aboro the poad aad the c&mm1 thorrof, ooa-
tlauor om klov t& pxul. rh8 pad nr rdr bx
the ooartrwtloa of 6 dirt ld roak dm throve
&or088 th8 abanol. T& orrrk or rl0@1 88t.r
&a mtor Lo it rxcwpt vh8a it rala8, tbrt 18,
it br ao nourao of rtor other tbm mla v8t.r.
It la not l Mrlgblr Itrwa, aad ilab +oold
hare ao uaaa ot got t fry late the pond or out
of the poad exoopt vh8a th8 oreok 18 full of
Honorable RO.8 Doughty, Jr., Pge 2
r4Ia vator,aad thaa they vould be oompvllvd to
CW8 Upthe Creek for WnJ =nJ r11e8 at flood
tImme,and &a a ntter of tact, It vould prohb-
ly be impoeelble for them t0 OOV8r the dirtmace.
"The creek doer not hV0 88 it8 IOul'C8of
wter rupply, any rlrer, nor 18 it filled from
the over-flov OS cay rIVer',but the creek doee
h a ve l vell defined c0ur8e.~
Under this statement of iactr, you vI8h to be
adrlsedt
"1. We vould like to knov if lt 10 unlav-
ful to take ileh from such pond or tank under
the follovlng Statute, vhlah 18 &ppllc8ble to
Uvrlde County, to-vlt:
“Art. 978--j, aote, Vernon Annotated Penal
Code, vhiah rerds l.npart es follove;
"'Sectloa 1, It ah011 be unlavful to fish
for, or attempt to tbke or catch fish la any of
the veters of Uvelde County duriag the months
oi Arch, April and May of any year, aad my
person vho httemptr to take or artch Slsh la
UValde County durlag the OloaeG seaeon provld-
ed for la thl8 act, rhall be deemed guilty of
4 mlrdawbnor mad upon COnViCtIOn rbll be fined
Ia the IWI of aot leas than Ten Dollarr ($10)
aor more than Fifty Dollars ($50).’
“2. If it 1s lavful to take fish from
8uoh pond, I8 it levful to trrnrport them over
the hlghny from the pond to the home of the
parson hrvlng uld fish.'
In the caoe of Jonee 1. Stat0 (X01), 45 3. Y.
(26) 612, our Court of Crfmlaal Appeal0 coartrued Artlaler
924, 925, 931, 933 rad 951, Peal Code, 1925, and held that
the Leglrl&twe cmaot lntorfera vlth the ilrhing PrlVilege
of the ovnero of private pond8 bVIn@ no OoBBNnIO8tion
Honorable Rora Doughty, Jr., page 3
through vhlch fl8h Vera lcou8tomed to p88r to other ntera.
Thir 8ad other -808 bre oltrd and dlraursed la our Opla-
ion No. O-2343, 8 copy of vhlch 18 herevlth lnolored.
The trot8 la thr above mentioned ~888 &co 8ub-
8tUitUlly the Mm 48 88t forth Ia Jo12 r8fJllO8t. Th8 Leg-
lrlaturr 18 prerumed to have knova the lav la o ua c ed
la uld
0888 bad did aot intend by the phmae, ‘la bay of the vaterr
of Ur8ldo County, ’ to Include v8terr in prlrrtely ovned
poola, pondr, tank8 or Ukos over vhioh it hd no author-
ity to Interfere vlth the privilege OS the ovaer8 thereof
rrom taking flab therefrom.
Based Upon the fact8 8tated In your reque8t and
the 8uthorlty cited above, it I8 our opinioa that the pro-
vIaIon of Article 978-j doer not apply to the taking of
flab from the pool or tank described In your request. It
i8 al80 our Opinion tbrt the owner of said pool or Unk,
or any other person vlth the consent of the ovner, 88~~ IAV-
fully take flrh therefrom rt any time and lbvfully trans-
port them over the hlghvay from the pond to the home of the
person lnvlng rrld fish.
A & ATTOR:i33~;d
,
BY
Bruce Y. Bryant
A8818tant
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