A wholesale fish dealer from Platteville has been convicted of illegally selling invasive carp in Wisconsin.
Ping Li, co-owner and sole operator of Li Fish Farm, LLC, was convicted in Grant and Dane county circuit courts of two misdemeanor crimes and 17 forfeiture violations under a plea deal.
Li was ordered to pay more than $13,000 in penalties, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
It was the state’s first case involving illegal sale of bighead, grass and silver carp.
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The 19 convictions included improper transport of Asian carp, violation of wholesale fish dealer vehicle ID requirements when transporting fish, possession of illegal fish with a value greater than $300 and failure to keep wholesale fish dealer records.
Acting on a tip in April 2018 from a concerned citizen, DNR conservation wardens began an investigation and observed Li selling the fish to Asian Midway Foods in Madison. Charges were filed against Li in September 2020.
The illegal activity, which included the sale of whole bighead, grass and silver carp that had been purchased in Illinois, was documented on at least five occasions in 2018 and 2019, according to a criminal complaint in the case.
However the illegal activities had been ongoing for several years before, according to the agency.
It is illegal to possess Asian carp in Wisconsin unless the fish have been gutted or the gills are severed.
Undercover work by DNR wardens found Li transporting hundreds of pounds of prohibited carp on most deliveries to the food store.
The bighead, grass and silver carp in this case are different from the carp known as German carp or common carp which have lived in Wisconsin since the mid-1800s.
While they are all considered invasive, bighead and silver carp, especially, have spread through the U.S. over the last several decades and resulted in significant damage to native ecosystems and fisheries.
“The species (are) top on the Least Wanted Aquatic Invasive Species List from the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers,” said Lt. Robert Stroess, DNR warden administrator for Commercial Fishing and Aquatic Species in Trade Enforcement, in a statement.
The DNR listed the following threats from each species:
– The bighead carp is a feeder of plankton, which is a primary food for many native fish including walleye, yellow perch, lake whitefish and all juvenile fish. This specific carp is a major threat to the Great Lakes $7 billion fishing industry.
– The silver carp is another feeder on fish habitats attacked by the bighead. This species also is known to leap out of the water, which is a threat to boaters and the region’s $16 billion boating industry.
– The grass carp eats aquatic habitats and is known to help cause algae blooms and damage to wetlands and waterfowl habitats.
The species’ are found in the Mississippi River and certain inland waters of Wisconsin, but have yet to be documented in Lake Michigan.
“The laws around the Great Lakes states are in place to minimize the threat of these species finding their way into new waterways at the hands of humans,” said Stroess. “The laws serve as important protections for our native Wisconsin fish.”
Nearly all the invasive carp Li sold and transported were completely intact and therefore illegal in Wisconsin. In 2018 alone, more than 9,000 pounds of Li’s overall invasive carp sales were transported or sold illegally in the state.
Li also violated the law when he used an unmarked refrigerated van to transport and deliver most of the illegal carp, making it difficult to identify it as a wholesale fish dealer vehicle.
To learn more about invasive carp rules, regulations and preventive measures in Wisconsin, visit dnr.wi.gov.
Hunter education change: Beginning March 21, the DNR will once again require aspiring hunters under the age of 18 to attend an in-person hunter education test.
Due to COVID-19-related health concerns, the department had a temporary policy in place that allowed youth to obtain their certificate through an entirely on-line process.
Students under the age of 18 enrolled in the all-online course will have through March 20 to complete it. Those over age 18 may continue to utilize the online course.
The DNR has a list of hunter education classes and options on its website at dnr.wi.gov.
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