For Immediate Release
March 8, 2005

Illegal Fish Convictions Net Heavy Fines: Maine Game Wardens and 
Federal
Agents Fight Illegal Fish Trade

For More Information, Please Contact Colonel Tom Santaguida, 
207-287-2766

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Invasive fish species, illegal stocking and the 
illegal
buying and selling of fish species in Maine is a real threat to the 
quality
of Maine's freshwater fisheries. In an effort to stop growing problems 
in
this area, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has 
focused
some of its enforcement activities on this problem.

During the past year, the Investigations Division of the Bureau of 
Warden
Service, working closely with Department fishery biologists and United
States Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement officers as well as 
those
of other states has arrested and convicted a number of individuals 
involved
in this illegal activity.

Effective, professional conservation law enforcement operations are an
important component to safeguarding Maine's inland fisheries. Just as
important are public information and education efforts by our Bureau of
Resource Management and our Division of Information and Education,
literature and publications and our Outdoor Partner's Program.

Some of the highlights of the past year's law enforcement efforts 
include:

		*	Conviction of Paul Yang doing business as Wah Yang
Seafood of New York City, New York. He was convicted of (1) felony 
violation
of the federal Lacey Act.. He received a $2,100 fine and one year 
probation
for illegally buying and selling freshwater game fish;
		*	Conviction of David Fitz of Cumberland, Maine paid a
$2,025 fine and $6,500 restitution to the Department of Inland 
Fisheries and
Wildlife for illegally stocking largemouth bass in a pond in Maine;
		*	Conviction of Bernard Mason of Cornish, Maine who
paid a $2,500 fine for (1) felony Lacey Act violation for illegally 
buying,
selling and importing fish;

	*	The most significant investigation lead to the arrest and
conviction of Paul Zombik and a business entity by the name of 
Michael's
Wholesale Bait of West Springfield, Massachusetts. This investigation 
led to
the conviction of Paul Zombik who was convicted of three (3) felony
violations of the Lacey Act. He was sentenced to 6 months incarceration 
and
2 years supervised release. Mr. Zombik's company, Michael's Wholesale 
Bait
of West Springfield, Massachusetts was fined sixty thousand dollars
($60,000) for one felony violation of the Lacey Act. An employee of the
company, Donald MacLeod, also pleaded guilty to (1) felony Lacey Act
violation and was fined $200.00.

The Lacey Act is a federal offense, which makes it illegal to, among 
other
things, engage in interstate commerce of fish, and wildlife that has 
been
taken, possessed, transported, purchased or sold in violation of state 
law. 

Zombik also pleaded guilty to buying live freshwater Maine game fish
including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white and yellow perch, 
crappie,
bluegill and alewives that had been taken live from Maine waters.

These sentencings mark the conclusion of several long-term 
investigations,
some of which began in 2000. 

Maine has the most stringent fish health regulations in the United 
States in
order to protect its sensitive ecosystems and relatively pristine 
fisheries,
which contain many indigenous brook trout populations. Exotic fish, 
diseases
and parasites threaten these ecosystems and associated fisheries. The
illegal stocking of fish plagues Maine waters. "The illegal 
introduction of
fish into Maine waters is clearly the most significant threat to the
preservation of Maine's native fisheries. Many of our finest trout 
waters
have been jeopardized in recent years, but I'm hopeful that the 
severity of
the sentences handed down in this investigation will help to discourage 
any
future illegal activity", says John Boland, Director of Maine's 
Fisheries
Division. For example, northern pike have been introduced into Sebago 
Lake
and may result in the destruction of populations of native salmon and 
trout,
which constitute economically important fisheries. Even though an
introduction may occur in a single body of water, the introduced 
species can
rapidly infest an entire drainage, ruining it forever. 

Colonel Thomas Santaguida, Chief of the Maine Warden Service cited 
excellent
joint cooperation between Maine Game Wardens and agents and supervisors 
of
the United States Fish and Wildlife as the key to the successful
investigations. "Clearly, the combination of state and federal 
resources
resulted in an outcome far beyond what the state could have achieved 
alone.
In addition to the excellent work of our own wardens, the United States 
Fish
and Wildlife Service has been a great partner agency in assisting the 
state
of Maine in efforts to thwart the illegal stocking, selling and 
marketing of
freshwater fish. I am confident that these convictions will deter 
future
illegal fish stocking activity and send a strong message to those who 
might
consider this illegal behavior."  Colonel Santaguida also expressed
appreciation to the United States Attorney Paula Silsby and the staff 
of the
United States Attorney's Office for their hard work in prosecuting 
these
cases. "Assistant United States Attorney Halsey Frank and the staff at 
the
US Attorney's office in Portland, Maine were extremely supportive of 
the
investigations and without their support the outcome would not have 
been
successful." 

The Maine Warden Service Investigations Division led the investigation 
phase
of the case. Investigator Sergeant Terrence Hunter states that this 
success
was in no small way, the result of the investigative work conducted by
recently retired Investigator Albert St. Saviour. Sergeant Hunter also
stated "In response to numerous complaints regarding this illegal 
activity,
Investigator St. Saviour - working closely with the USFWS was able to 
crack
these cases and prevent future damage by these individuals to our 
ecosystems
and fisheries resources.