Michael Sullivan of Griffith, Indiana has pleaded responsible to importing greater than 2,600 kilos of stay channel catfish into Illinois with out a allow from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The channel catfish have been purchased in Mississippi and Alabama and brought up north, to Illinois. The investigation decided that Mr. Sullivan imported the channel catfish right into a Plainfield Lake three separate occasions in 2021. Channel catfish is a species that’s simply vulnerable to viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), this virus can decimate fish shares in lakes and rivers and is of nice concern for the IDNR.
The importation of fish and different animals with out permits poses a danger to Illinois’s native wildlife populations because of the attainable unfold of illnesses. The IDNR truly supplies free import permits so long as the fish have been examined and confirmed to be disease-free.
“While VHS has been found in the Great Lakes, currently we have not detected this disease outside of Lake Michigan in Illinois,” mentioned Kevin Irons, assistant chief of fisheries at IDNR.
Most folks inside the fish transportation business adjust to IDNR rules, mentioned Conservation Police Officer Brandon Fehrenbacher, who works within the Invasive Species Unit.
“Importing and stocking untested fish significantly increases the risks to our resources and undercuts others within the industry abiding by the law,” he mentioned. “These types of conservation offenses can be complex and time consuming in an already overburdened court system. IDNR is grateful the Illinois Attorney General’s Environmental Crimes Bureau and the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office dedicated the time and resources required to prosecute this case.”
Mr. Sullivan was handed down a sentence of 24 months of court docket supervision and ordered to pay $227 in fines and court docket charges. He additionally has to carry out 30 hours of neighborhood service. The greatest hit to him is $10,500 he should pay in restitution to the IDNR Conservation Police Operations Assistance Fund.
“I appreciate the partnership of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Will County state’s attorney as we worked to hold this individual accountable for illegally importing live fish and jeopardizing our environment,” mentioned Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “Our state’s ecosystems and natural resources are delicate and should be preserved for years to come.”
For extra details about fish importation legal guidelines in Illinois, go to https://ifishillinois.org/programs/aquaculture.html.
