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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 folbuilt upon 8 amok or rlough. 

or #lough hoadr a nubor of l nor 

aboro the poad aad the c&mm1 thorrof, ooatlauor om klov t& pxul. rh8 pad nr rdr bx 

the ooartrwtloa of 6 dirt l d 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 Up the Creek for WnJ =nJ r11e8 at flood 

tImme, and &a a ntter of tact, It vould prohbly be impoeelble for them t0 OOV8r the dirtmace. 

"The creek doer not hV0 88 it8 IOul'C8 of 

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 unlavful 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.n part 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 provlded 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 l cou8tomed to p88r to other ntera. 

Thir 8ad other -808 bre oltrd and dlraursed la our Oplaion No. O-2343, 8 copy of vhlch 18 herevlth l nolored. 

The trot8 la thr above mentioned ~888 &co 8ub8tUitUlly the Mm 48 88t forth Ia Jo12 r8fJllO8t. Th8 Leglrlaturr 18 prerumed to have knova the lav l a 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 authority 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 provIaIon 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~~ IAVfully take flrh therefrom rt any time and lbvfully transport 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 

BUB:db 

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