By Obiabin Onukwugha
25 people are facing charges in connection with the illegal harvesting of more than 300,000 pounds of catfish in Kentucky, United States of America.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources revealed this, stating that a statewide investigation, dubbed “Operation River Raid,” uncovered the illegal harvest of catfish from public waterways.
The officials stated that the catfish were then transported and sold to unregulated or illegally operated private lakes, stocked with fish where patrons pay for a set amount of fishing time.
The officials bemoaned the trend, saying the practice is illegal and threatens the long-term sustainability of Kentucky’s natural resources.
“A critical piece of information to properly manage any fishery is accurate harvest rates. That is why commercial fishers are required to report their harvest each month. This egregious underreporting undermines our ability to properly monitor catfish populations, especially trophy catfish,” the director of the Fisheries Division, Dave Dreves stated,
The 10-month investigation was reportedly carried out in coordination with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife game wardens and Fisheries Division employees.
The operation is expected to result in more than 700 criminal charges across six Kentucky counties: Livingston, Marshall, Boyd, Bath, Lawrence and Powell.
Investigators are said to have also used surveillance, intelligence sharing and field inspections to gather evidence.
Hawaii News Now reported on Thursday that officials have not yet publicly identified the 25 people who are facing the charges.
