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 

department. we quote f 

oan recelvtid by this 

iea are violated In the. 

proBdl*B(tD, venon*'s Annoef 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 anlmals 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 

grounds of any Btate Siish 

and treqaselng on the 

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 01 ths Caermiseioner or Deputy ln 

oharcs Of suah reservation, shal 

lass than ~10.00, Ml? nlnrs than B 

be fined not 

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 boundaries 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 perf3on, rim or 00 

of ianas in ths 3 

oration owning and ln poosassaion, 

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 or game &&~E&I mentioned in this 

ohapter on the lends xx%ntloned thersln, for a 

period of not lens than ten years* 3uah instmmont or wrltlng shall bc filed in the oifiae 

of the Game, Fish and Oyster ~ommissionsr, 

whereupon the "ame, Fish and Oyster Ccmmissloner 
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 preservatian, 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 ineONmont therefor. The Game, Fish nnd Oyfher 

QWm.l~aioner hall onuse notlaes to'be reWmid oontaininll( the words *8%&e C%UR~ Fronerve,' Trespaaein~ Prohibited,' end OEIUNI 

mah notloes to he posted at erioh &y&e or 

mm44 thereto. All Sttnte gnlae pree.ervas 

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 boundarlar of any game preserve, ana any person 

*rllo r&all violate any provlalon of 'this ohapter 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, without 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 pxopagation Or exhibition purposea, 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 9Oi6OltIII&, 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$thout t$,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 or fish. - 

Whoever ohall enter upon the lnolosed land of 

another without the aonaent oi the owner, proprietor 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&wlioense 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 
61 

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

ouch 1unAn ~88 or0 in we for agr%xlture or ~raeing mrpoees or for any other purpose, and lnclosed by en? struoture for ?enoing either of 

mod or iron or oombinafion thereof, 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;ing or fishing or 

emping privile@m whera the owner, pmprietor, or asent In aharq'or any peruon for hira 

by any and every means has reaeivod or oozltraoted 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 earnmanly 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 'i" espeolally .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, 
Honorable S, B, Buchanan, Jr., Fage 6 

terrapins, ..~ I turtles, etc. . - 

Other articles present 

me law conaernlng animals In general, food, vessels, 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 oomprehenslve 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, respeetfully,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 

AlTOm GFSIIZRAI. OF TEXAS 

WJF:G~~~~~~ UC 26, 1939' 

$ziAAA4m 

ATTORNEY GENERAL OE; TiiXA$