Here is an updated article from Sunday
As of posting this, the count on the petition is 658. Have you signed it yet?
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-chriss-pet-snakehead-fish
Banned snakehead becomes international celebrity; fish still hasn't been seized by DEC
by Tom Leo / The Post-Standard Sunday March 01, 2009, 5:17 PM
A Clay man's banned pet snakehead fish has become an international celebrity. Chris Deverso's quest to save the 10-year-old, 28-inch-long fish he calls Rocky is getting worldwide attention after state Department of Environmental Conservation officers said they would seize and destroy the fish, which is an invasive species illegal to own in New York since 2004. Deverso, has not heard from DEC officers since Thursday, when they aborted plans to seize the fish, fearing media coverage and interference from protesters, according to DEC Lt. Don Pleakis.
But he has heard from others, including a woman from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who watched the story on a Florida television station. That was only one of about 150 telephone calls Deverso has received from all over the country in support of saving his fish, he said.
A woman identified only as Mary Lou set up a petition to save Rocky on thepetitionsite.com. As of Sunday, nearly 200 people from as many as 30 states and 15 countries had signed the petition. Signatures came from folks in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Kuwait, Romania, Sweden, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
"Never in my life have I thought I would be touched by so many individual people I don't even know," Deverso said.
"I know there are more problems in this world than my fish," he added, "but this has gotten bigger than just a fish. It's about our rights."
Snakeheads are voracious, known for eating all fish in a lake or pond, and even eating its young. Deverso pleaded guilty last month to possessing the fish after DEC officials received a tip it was in his possession.
Deverso purchased the fish legally in 1999, before a federal and state ban. Deverso has tried for two months to convince the state his fish is not a threat if it's released in Central New York waterways. He says his type of snakehead can't survive in our cold climate. But state law does not distinguish among the 29 different species of snakeheads.
Deverso keeps the fish, which eats as many as 36 goldfish a week, in an enclosed 200-gallon tank. He was willing to let the DEC come and seize the fish last week but now says he'll fight to keep the fish alive.
"So many people have showed their support, I won't be content with myself if I just let them come in to take my fish," Deverso said. "The DEC had its chance. Now, they have to come with a warrant. Not only do they have to have a warrant, they might have to break down my door to get in."
Deverso said he plans to talk to lawyers and animal rights people Monday to explore whether he can keep the DEC from taking the fish.
A DEC officer said last week he wasn't sure when the fish would be seized.
There is at least some hope the fish can be saved. A spokesperson for the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park in Syracuse says the zoo can't take the fish because it doesn't have the space. But Deverso's wife, Beth, was contacted last week from someone associated with the Thompson Park Conservancy and Zoo in Watertown. She hopes to talk to the zoo director sometime this week. "It's probably only a small chance," she said, "but it's a chance."
Deverso has a plan to turn all the attention into a not-for-profit venture to help other animals. He wants to sell business-sponsored "Rocky Supporter" T-shirts for $10 each and donate the money to animal rescue groups.
"If I can't save the life of my fish, at least maybe we can save some other animals," he said.
Tom Leo can be reached at
tleo@syracuse.com or 470-6013.
