### OFFICEOFTHEATTORNEYGENERALOFTEXAS AU5TlN

Oame, Fish and Oyster Cozafssloz~ Austin, Texas

In your letter of opinion of this depwtmnt Regubr sassion, 46th Legir


### UNvaters of co IUion Counties d-lag the peri POVlding penalt tb Aot provider t shall 

### be unlavful, in tOr8 Of fhWri8OA and t to take any g8ae fish 15th OSany year. After provlslo~~ of the Aot, sht as herein used doe5

definition or the temn ‘game fish.”

tul coastruatlon that it cannot be understood, either mm the language in vhlah 

### it ia expressed or from 8ame other vrfttea lav of ’ the Stat4.m (Tex. Jur. Vol. 12, pp. 228-229.) A 3.~ mat provide 8cme standard for d5termln.W vhether Qt aat 

### la arinrioal or not, OndIt must be so~fraraed that the MMana upon **vhom** it is to operate tn%y be able to lam in advance

## 45:

Game,fish andOyster Comni~elon, Page 2

r&z; vritten statute vbat act8 or amlssiocs 8re thu8 msde

. Tex. JLU’

.Vol. 12, p. 230. Thus Uvs zs’klng It an offense “nmilesely’ to kill an anizial (clmir v, X&o, 100 Cr. Rap. 147, 300 

### 3.Y. 64), to fall to bnive a vehicle ti a careful m8nnarvith due **regard** for 

### the safety andconvenience of others 

### (Russell v. State, 08.C~. Rep. 512, 220 3.3. 556), to operate **a** vehlale In excess of a certsin speeti at **a** rtilroad crossing “vhere the vlev of said crossl.4T 18 obsaured” (0. R. &3. **A.** Rallvsy Ca. v. Duty (Cam. or A’,p. , 277 S.W. 105771, or on the etreats OSa city vbers the coatlguou3 territory 1s “closely built ~3’ (Zx ;mte 

### Camigaan, 92Cr. Re?. 

### 309, 244 33. GO!+),have boon hsld invalid 

### forlack

. ol aortainty.

It 1s 

### clear that in 

### paselq Iiouse Bill 

### 336, the Legi3- bture vas not lnteodlng to prohibit the taking of all Siah. It intended, abvlaruly, to prohibit the taking only of ’ those fish knovn as “game floh.’ Laoldng to the lexicographer **ior** a deflnltlon of the term “v fish,” la the 

### absence of a deflnltian provided **by** 

### the Legislature, wel’M that the term 18 applied to “the various floh considered vorthy of pursuit b 8POl't8EOA." Webeter~8 Rev Intom%tlonal Dlatlonary, 2nd Rd.

It 1s our underet,azUng that eportsnen consider 

### a fish to be gameit ho vlll take artlfioial lures.

Relther the dictionary definition nor the definition @f the qortsmen has any of the elements of rossamble aeHalnty. ’ Ai~lying the diatlomry doflnltlon, the barefoot boy vho, flshbs vlth rude pole, hook and Ilno, vlth vorms **for** bslt, or the sFaztanz%nfishing vlth ultra-nadern equipment and artlftcial i 1-i. vhen he catches **a** fish, must esk hlntself ’ tvo quostione, 

### p&;zeI ff**s~rts9Bn?n** 

### snd second, it the anever 18 in the

I]0sportamen aonslder the fish vblah I have ju8t -9ght vortiy of pursuit?”

Applying the sportmen’s dofln.ltlOA, If tho barefOOt **&Y** catches a fish, **usfig vorim**  **lop bait,**  he must ask hipsOlf b qUostIoa.vhether thst flrrh vould have rleen to ti artlflzi i%ei8 they vore In the lsv vhlah requlrod a 

### personoperat-

‘ihe elements of aertalntg 

### area8 wholly laa’klng in bs a vehicle on the streets of **a** city to 

### gaugehle speed 

### aaoord- * t0 whether **or** not he deterziaed that the terPltory thrOUgh -ah be ~0s drlvlng vaa “cloeely built up.”

## ~a;aa, blah and Gyotor COdSSiOn, PcI~s 3

WJrind co help in our examination of the lava of the state u?on the subject. .?athSr, the I?Xittsr 1s thFOVA lAt0 further confusion. The 45th Leglslaturo, at its Zegular 3osslon, psssd Xouse Jill 20. 18, prohlbltlng tho tnklng of any game fish "a3 de.iXnod in this Act” ln the counties of Ilarrison and !:arlon in the Stats of Texas, durlns the months OPZwch and h;rll of each yam. In that Act, the term “gems fish”, “as that tom la wed in this Act,” it vas provided, “shall be held anddeazsd to man, asbrace and include al?a?pia **and/or vhito**  ?3rch, large-i;lauth black bass, and ezbll-miith blwk ‘Jam.”

In House 3111 ::o. 8C4, ~?.szed by the sane Lq$slature, ;rovfdlng for the regulation of the kesplng, rapound.ln& conflnlng md tmnsgorting of g-0 fish in Harriso.? aad Xmlon Camtim, the term “gaze fl~h,” as used in that Act, it vas ,provlded, mbrscsd and included azspple and/or white perzh, largozouth black &ss, mall-zouth bla5k bass, vhlte bsss, y&low bass, ad goggls-sye and brews.

Apparently ths 46th Legislature, in {aming HouseBill 30. 386, contemplated that the tSrz “game fleh as used In Eou.9813111Ro. 3116, should be broader and more lnoluslvs than sithar of the’derlnltlons oontainsd in the Aote just referred ta, for, vhereas swh Acts madokio rstersnae vhatsoever to striped base, House Bill iio. 3% spoclflcally excludes fro3 its msning 3’ the tern “game fish,” se used In House Bill Xo. 385, stripad base.

It Is lzuposelbl~ to asaertaln, vlth any degree of csrtainty, by the use of tbs ordinary m8ne of construatlon, just pt mewlln# the L-sglelaturs lntsnded to attribute ta the term

as used in House Bill Ro. 3% Wermst therefore k%st%hihs Aat is invalid, for want of &rtainty. Yours very truly ATTORXEY

GEXZRAL

OFTEXAS