Man Illegally Imported Thousands Of Pounds Of Catfish To Plainfield

PLAINFIELD, IL — An Indiana man recently pleaded guilty to importing over 2,600 pounds of live channel catfish into Illinois without a permit, state conservation officials announced Wednesday.

Michael Sullivan, of Griffith, took a negotiated plea of one count of importing without a permit, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which reported Sullivan put the fish — purchased in Mississippi and Alabama — in a Plainfield lake on three occasions in 2021.

The case was filed in Will County following an investigation by the Illinois Conservation Police Invasive Species Unit, according to the department.

Channel catfish are susceptible to viral hemorrhagic septicemia, which can decimate fish populations, the department said, noting its staff review and provide free importation permits to importers with tested and disease-free fish.

"Importing and stocking untested fish significantly increases the risks to our resources and undercuts others within the industry abiding by the law," Conservation Police Officer Brandon Fehrenbacher said in a news release. "These types of conservation offenses can be complex and time consuming in an already overburdened court system.”

Sullivan received 24 months of court supervision and $227 in fines and fees, according to the department, which said he was also ordered to perform 30 hours of community service and pay $10,500 in restitution to the department’s Conservation Police Operations Assistance Fund.

People seeking to report poaching and other illegal activity are asked to complete the Target Illinois Poachers incident form at dnr2.illinois.gov/OLETIPHotline or call 877-236-7529.