Opinion ID: 57442
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: State Navigational Servitude

Text: 5 Plaintiffs’ argument to the contrary based on purported federal common law is unavailing. Plaintiffs point us to state court decisions that provide citizens with a state right to fish on navigable waters. But those cases merely prove that states generally regulate the use of public trust lands. Plaintiffs also rely on Silver Springs Paradise Co. v. Ray, 50 F.2d 356, 359 (5th Cir. 1931), where we stated that the owner of the bed of a navigable body of water in Florida could not enjoin the public from using the waters “for boating or sailing for pleasure.” But again, Silver Springs is inapplicable because it applied state law to determine the scope of navigational rights. Id. 14 No. 06-31045 Plaintiffs argue that a state servitude burdens the Property and grants them the right to fish upon it when it is flooded. Plaintiffs assert that this right exists in the Louisiana Constitution, which provides that the freedom to hunt, fish, and trap wildlife is a valued natural heritage that will be forever preserved. See LA. CONST. art. I, § 27. They also find support in the Louisiana Civil Code, which provides that everyone has the right to fish in the State’s rivers. See LA. CIV. CODE ANN. art. 452. Finally, they contend that the Property is burdened by the State for the public’s use because Louisiana owns all of the running waters in the State. See id. art. 456. In response, Sheriff Shumate argues that the right to fish in Louisiana is explicitly limited to public lands and does not extend to private riparian property. Moreover, he argues that the Second Circuit Court of Appeal, while failing to hold that the Property is free of a state servitude because the issue was not properly raised, left a “guide post” for this court by noting in passing that the public does not have a right to fish on private lands. We agree with Sheriff Shumate. First, the Louisiana Constitution, far from creating a private right to fish on the Property, explicitly reserves to private property owners the right to refuse consent to fishermen’s entry on their land. The article Plaintiffs rely on reads: The freedom to hunt, fish, and trap wildlife, including all aquatic life, traditionally taken by hunters, trappers and anglers, is a valued natural heritage that shall be forever preserved for the people. . . . Nothing contained herein shall be construed to authorize the use of private property to hunt, fish, or trap without the consent of the owner of the property. 15 No. 06-31045 See LA. CONST. art. I, § 27.6 When the article is read in full, it is plain that the right to fish is circumscribed and does not extend to waters on private property. Second, the Louisiana Civil Code does not create a right to fish upon the Property, even if we assume that the Property in its entirety is a bank of the Mississippi River. Under Louisiana law, the “banks of navigable rivers are private things that are subject to public use.” LA. CIV. CODE ANN. art. 452; see also Buckskin Hunting Club v. Bayard, 868 So.2d 266, 275-76 (La. Ct. App. 2004). The public use, however, is limited to use for navigational purposes. Walker Lands, 871 So.2d at 1268 n.6 (citations omitted); Buckskin Hunting Club, 868 So.2d at 276 (citation omitted). As stated in the comments to article 456, “[a]ccording to well-settled Louisiana jurisprudence, which continues to be relevant, the servitude of public use under this provision is not ‘for the use of the public at large for all purposes’ but merely for purposes that are ‘incidental’ to the navigable character of the stream and its enjoyment as an avenue of commerce.” LA. CIV. CODE ANN. art. 452 cmt. b (citations omitted). The Second Circuit Court of Appeal noted, in the parallel state proceeding, that fishing on the banks of the Mississippi River does not meet the definition of a navigational use. Walker Lands, 871 So.2d at 1268 n.6 (citations omitted). We agree. See, e.g., State v. Barras, 602 So.2d 301, 305 (La. Ct. App. 1992) (holding that fishing was not incidental to navigation); Edmiston v. Wood, 566 So.2d 673, 675-76 (La. Ct. App. 1990) (same). 6 This section of the Louisiana Constitution did not become effective until December 7, 2004. We, therefore, do not cite it for the proposition that Sheriff Shumate had probable cause to arrest Plaintiffs, but to show that the hortatory passage Plaintiffs rely on is limited in nature. 16 No. 06-31045 Finally, we reject Plaintiffs’ argument that they have the right to fish on the Property when it is submerged under the Mississippi River because “running waters” are public things owned by the State. Under Louisiana law, “public things” belong to the State, and “public things” include “running waters.” LA. CIV. CODE ANN. art. 456. Plaintiffs argue that the public has a right to fish on the running waters of the State based on Chaney v. State Mineral Bd., 444 So.2d 105 (La. 1983). In that case, the Louisiana Supreme Court stated that the running waters over non-navigable streams are preserved for the general public. Id. at 109. This court has since determined that claims to the use of waterways based on Chaney have “failed to carry the day in Louisiana courts.” Dardar, 985 F.2d at 834 (citation omitted). We have no reason to deviate from that holding. To the contrary, the Third Circuit Court of Appeal of Louisiana recently stated that although an owner must permit running waters to pass through his estate, Louisiana law “does not mandate that the landowner allow public access to the waterway.” Buckskin Hunting Club, 868 So.2d at 274.