Multiple municipal courts have convicted two national online aquatic animal suppliers for ignoring warnings about shipping illegal crayfish.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says the companies in North Carolina and Indiana were given 20 citations with penalties for importing illegal, invasive species to customers in eight Wisconsin counties.
Around our area, the crayfish were shipped to Sheboygan and Brown County schools, residents, and businesses.
DNR Lieutenant Robert Stroess says the investigation into the incident started two years ago when the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Law Enforcement Committee conducted educational outreach to national suppliers of aquatic species to educate them about the risks of the invasive species and state laws.
But they were ignored.
The DNR explains that non-native crayfish species are illegal in Wisconsin because of disease concerns, their ability to outcompete native species, and enormous financial costs for remediating an infested site.
