THIS IS WHY WE ARE SO STRICT!!!

Oddball

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For those on ssslllloooowwww dialup (like me), here's the article:

Feds take bite out of piranha dealer's wallet

By the Lincoln Journal Star Thursday, Nov 01, 2007 - 09:08:46 pm CDT

A Lincoln man must pay $10,000 in fines for selling several hundred flesh-eating fish to Floridians.

Brandon Rodgers, 26, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in September to transporting piranha from Nebraska, where they would die in winter if introduced into the wild, to Florida, where they would not.

The importation or possession of piranha is illegal in Florida and most every other warm weather state. Doing so is a federal violation of the Lacey Act, which in part regulates the importation of birds and animals into foreign habitats.

Rodgers was sentenced Thursday by U.S. Magistrate Judge David Piester to three years probation and $10,000 restitution. Rodgers, who according to his myspace.com page operates an Internet-based company called Rodgers Aquatics, is banned from commercial dealings in fish or wildlife while on probation.

Between April 1, 2005, and June 15, 2007, Rodgers sold and shipped about 300 piranha to Florida and other states, according to the U.S. Attorney?s Office. He knowingly sold the fish to customers in illegal states through Internet sites such as eBay.

The $10,000 fine will be split evenly between the Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers fund and the Nebraska Game and Parks investigative cash fund.
 

bigspizz

Polypterus
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In the article it says p's are illegal in Fla, as well as most warm states. Why are they illegal in the state of Washington but not Montana, Idaho, or Oregon? They are all warmer than us and border all around us (with the exception of Montana which is divided by a sliver of Idaho). This is a stupid question, but between Jerry, and Phil, I am sure to get some massive knowledge here :)



PS...My buddy Jeremy goes by Jerry :) But I prefer Jaromyrome...lol
 

cichlaguapote

Fire Eel
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I know that guy.. not personally but he got his start on piranha-fury, and shut down a couple times for taking losses on his imports that were DOA.. Sucks that he was just a small time guy trying to start his own business but he did sell piranha to an illegal state.. :(
 

bigspizz

Polypterus
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Peanut_Power;1258837; said:
DON'T SELL ILLEGAL TO FISH!!





And more importantly, this is not isolated to that guy and P' fury. It is here as well, and we have F&W that frequent our board and stay active in the "trading" game. People need to realize that it could happen to ALL OF US, and in some members cases it has already happened to them. I have read of more than a few folks on here who have been raided and or setup in controlled buys of illegal wildlife. It is treated like drugs just so people know. If you buy/sell/trade illegal fish, you are no better than a crack pusher....
 

Oddball

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The only answer I got from WA F&W about their P ban is that there are concerns over the possibility of Ps surviving winters around nuclear plant and power plant outflows. And, any Spring season releases can result in damage or harm to people and the ecosystems before the Ps die off the following winter.
 

bigspizz

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Oddball;1258951; said:
The only answer I got from WA F&W about their P ban is that there are concerns over the possibility of Ps surviving winters around nuclear plant and power plant outflows. And, any Spring season releases can result in damage or harm to people and the ecosystems before the Ps die off the following winter.





That is what I was looking for :) And I live near hanford, lol (just a few clicks down the way) Makes so much sense. Thanks for the clarification....
 

N-E Cichlids

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What a dummy. It still amazes me to think that people still think they can beat the system.

This should be a wake up call to all of the Vendors. Alot of vendors including myself have the little we are not responsible for knowing the laws in your state policy regarding restricted species and we will not be held responsible.

This goes to show that we are held responsible. P's are legal in his state and he shipped them to an illegal state. Now he is paying the price.
 

ewurm

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That's a good read and a good example.
 
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