x...:::/ 

2 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEYGENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

j 

m 

Oeme, Fish and Oyster Conmhai~n 

Austin, Texas 

Oelatlemenr 

We have your requ 

questioas, whiah reads 08 f 

loa on the above 

owing quent&ul is 

crate of looation bss 

r, may the loaetor lapse 

ondl%itrinthOFOSd&de~- 

y notifying ths @ame, Pi&i and 

of hi8 deslm to do so? 

tifylng the oiiJB6, Ol6h an& oyetsr 

Com.bslon of his desire to Lap88 ek portion of 

bin W and by frrrnlshing the proper field 

notes of a aompetaat survep~ deseribiag the 

portion desired to be wi#dMWa? 

"2. If the maaver to either m6atian of the 

PlrUi qttestioa ia ia the affimtiVe, aSg Q POFtiw of any lo&am be dxwpped, Without MaW. 
O&me, Flrh and Oyatep Commlssion, Page 2 

payment au suah portion, after annual rental 

payment haa beaome due. 

"3. In the event a locator is issued a 

certificate and the spouse of such locator is 

likeviae Issued a uertiflcste on a separate 

location, pay one of them lavfully retain 

both loo&ions upon the death of the other 

v3mn the total aoreage of the locations DO 

held totaL more than one hundred gapes? 

“4. If the amver to the third qusntlOn 

in in the negative, my tho livtng spouse reta in l uah portion of the tvo alaims au vi11 

equdnotmorethanone hundredamest" 

4035-4041, 

The statute8 controlling these mtters are Artiolsa 

inolusive, Revised Civil Ststutes of Texas which We 

quote in full: 

'Art. 4035. Any perma vho ir 8 citisen 

of the United States or w domstio oorpontlon shall have the right of obtainiryl a looatioa for planting oysters and making private 

oyster bedo vithin the public vaten of this 

State, by aakiag writtm 8pplioatien to tb 

Corrissioner desoribing the loeatloa desired. 

A fee of tventy dollara eash mst aceow 

lmoh appllaatian, 

*Art. 4036. When the appliaation and fee 

provided for in the preceding artlole have been 

reoslved by the Comissloner he shall examine 

thoroughl 

f 

the location desired, an soon as 

practioab e, vlth tongs, dzwdge or any otheg 

erticient meann. If the same be not a natural 

oyster bed or reef, and exempt from loeatlon 

by any atiicle of this obapter, he ahall have 

the looation surveyed by a c-tent awve~ or* 

In mklng said location, said suweyor sha s 1 

plant two Iran stakes or pipes oa the shore 

line nearest to thy proposed location, one at 

es& end of the proposed loaatlon, whi& said 

stake8 or pipee rhall be not 106s than tvo 

la&or ln diameter, aad be eet at least three 

feet tithe groxtnd. Said at&s8 or pipes 8hrll 
Came, Flab 8nd Oyster Commission, Page 3 

be placed with referems to bearings of not 

less than three netural or permanent objeete 

or land marks. And the looator shall plaoe 

and maintain under the dlreatlon of the Cornmissioner 8 buop at eaob aorner of hL8 oyster 

claim farthest from the lsnd. No person shall 

loarts VPteP or ground oorered vlth w&tar for 

planting oysters along knj bay 8hore In t&l8 

State, nemrer thmn one hundred yards from 

ShOPO . 

"Art. 403-r. The ColmlI8sloner shall give 

the loaator a oertiflcate signed and sealed by 

the Comls8loner. Suoh aertlfioate 8hall show 

the dete of appllcatlon, date of mrvey, number, 

desorlptlon of metes and bounds with reforencre 

to the points of thn fmmpm8S mnd n&tug&l mnd 

artiflolrl obfeots by whloh said location aen 

be found fmd verified. The loaator shall, before suah aertifloote is delivered to hia, pay 

the ComIarloner survoyo~~~ fees end all other 

expenses conneoted with ostablI8hIng rush loeation. If 8ueh sums, as oosts of the location 

and establishment of the olalm, are less than 

the tventy dollar8 paid to the Gotissioner, 

the dlfferenoe In amount 8hall be returned to 

suah looator by the C0mIrsIoner. If such 

expeare8 ammat to more then tventy dollars, 

the deflolt shall be paid to the CoamIssIoner 

by t.he looator. 

"At tiny time not exueodlng sixty days 

after the date of suoh oezrtifloste of locstlon, 

the locator must file the same vlth the county 

clerk of the aounty In vhlah the loaotlon 1s 

situated, vho shall reaord the same In a well 

bound book kept for that purpose, and the orlglnel vlth a ~ertlflaate af registration shall 

be returned to the owner or looatoxq the olerk 

shall maeire for the reeordlng of suoh aertlficate the seam fee as far hecordlng deeds) 

the original or oertlfled copies of such 0e)ftlfloate 8hall be adrpiasible In evldenoe W%&P 

the emme rule governing the admlssloa of deeds 

or certified eoplee thenof. 
Oeam, Fllrh and Oyster hUi88iOn. p-e 4 

“Art. 4038. Any person who shell be 

granted e oertifioate of looetion as provided for Fn the pPeoedlng artiole shall be 

proteoted in hI8 posserrslon thereof against 

tPeagms8 t&Peon In like IMnner ma freeholders 

are protected in their pO88e88iOn8, 88 long ma 

he maLntains all stmkes end buoys In their 

origInal and aorreat position, awl oompliee 

vlth all lavs, Pules and regulations governIng $he fish and oyster industries. 

‘Art. 4039. lo person, firm or CSOP~OP~- 

tlon 8ha.U ever own, lease 0P othemrlse aontPo1 

more thmn lu hundred acr438 of land aovered by 

vmter, the ears being oy8ter loo8tlons awler 

thi8 Ch&ptOT, Mti Vithin the publie V8terS Of 

this 8tmtej aad mny person. firm or corporation 

thmt now hold8 more than one huMPed eo~es of 

oyster locatl0n8, 8halJ not be permitted hePemfter to require, 1eese or othervise o~ntrol 

m0r.j pr0vid.d that Do ooppo%‘atiO8A shall 1-80 

or aontwl uy suah lunlr oovend by vmtor unless suoh corporation 8hal.l be duly Fneorpomted 

under the levs of this State. 

"Art. 4040. Any person. finn or eorpoPatlon 

rho ha8 SOb\LWd, 0F my henmftor seewe 8 loaation for a privmto eystor bed in this Nate, shall 

keep the tW0 inW St&e8 Or pipe8 aad buoy8 aS 

provided fOP by l&V, fn ptiOe, and Shru pPe8ePve 

the marks SO 10% 8s he 18 the leerme of said 

10MtiM, and thi8 #&h&ii 8ppiJ 8180 tO~M7 P@FSOn, 

fina oP aorporetlon 8aqulPIng any loartlon by 

pug&aao or transfer of any nd~ture, and seld loemtier or the e88lgnoe of any looatar shell have 

the right to fmoe s8ld location or ury put 

thePeofj provided that sold fen08 daee not 

obatruot Mvlgatlom through OP Into a Pegular 

ohanna or cut leading to other pub110 waters. 

“APt. 4041. The mfner or loaator of privets 

oyster bsda uader the fOPeg0I.W POV%S~OIUJ ha.11 

not be nqulred to pay cry rents.18 on SU0h lOWAtime fog a pejiod of five yews, or till. 8wh 

tw 8s he shall begin to market or sal2 OystePs 
O&me, Fish and oyster COMR~~S~OA, P&go 5 

from such location or bad. Uh*n such locator 

shell begin to sell or mket oysters from 

such location, he shall pay the State one dollar and fifty dents per mare per annum and tvo 

GOAtE 8 barrel on oyster seles. Fellun to pay 

suah rental by the first day of Marah of each 

peer shall snnti and be 8 ?OrfOIt\llu, of his 

lee8e. An& if oyster8 era not marketed or sold 

from such loaetlon vlthin five ye&M from the 

dete of looatlon, SUOh location shall beam 

void.' 

The above quoted stmtutes make no provision for the 

lmpse of 8 part of 8 loaatlon. Artlole 4038, supra, proteots 

the rlehts of tha loaetor in the m08aession of his laeatlou 

only “%~~iong 88 he &AtbiA8 bll- st8kes end buOya in their 

orl@nal and oorraot wsltlon." It veuld eppemr, therefore, 

hat the Only method VhenbY a 1OOAtOr ray SUlTeAder 8 p&rt of 

his looetIon~ 18 to make mp~liaetion for i new oertlflcite for 

the 8&%ler exwi in the SLW manner by vhieh he obteined the 

orIglnal larger 1008tIOA. our mnmcer to both p&rtS of your 

first qAe8tiOA I8 in the nogatiw, vhioh m&k88 8a anaver to 

YOUX' 88OOAd qil*StfWl -6e888l7. 

we tUl'll POW t0 8 6OASid8F8tiOA Of YOUl third QU88tiOA. 

Artlole 4039, EUpra, UpPeaS%y lirit8 t0 mot more than OSLO hrtndred mare8 the l ree of oyster looetIon8 whiah my be ovAed, 

leased or otherwise aontrolled by any one pe~*Otl, flrr or eorpOP8tiOA. Where m spouse,eeqtins by tnheritmoe, oyster louation8 vhlc.h together 01th those prwlou~l~ OvAed by him total 

more than one hundred eore8, he my not be penrltted to retmtn 

more than one hundred 8OPe81. In mob oa80, he laap obtrin AQV 

oertifiartes embraaFrrg PWtS of both al8iU8 not totelling QePe 

thm one hundred more8 in the manner -o&ted LA our wmver to 

your first que8tIon. 

YOWS very truly