McHenry Co. hatchery admits selling quarantined fish

HAMMOND, Ind. -- The owner of an Illinois fish hatchery has admitting selling an undercover officer quarantined fish intended for stocking a northern Indiana pond.

The Post-Tribune of Merrillville reports that a federal plea agreement calls for the owner of Richmond, Ill.-based Keystone Hatcheries to plead guilty to an indictment charging it with one count of selling fish without being permitted to do so and pay a $75,000 fine.

The charge against Robinson Wholesale alleges that Keystone Hatcheries agreed to sell fish to an undercover Indiana wildlife officer, even though it was banned from selling fish in 15 Indiana counties following an outbreak of a deadly fish disease transmitted by parasites. Court records say Indiana officials stopped a truck carrying those fish before it arrived at a Porter County pond.