Two online aquatic animal dealers convicted of shipping invasive species to eight Wisconsin counties

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced on Wednesday that two national online suppliers of aquatic animals have been convicted in multiple Wisconsin county circuit courts for ignoring warnings from the DNR and repeatedly shipping illegal invasive species to schools, residents and businesses.

In March and April 2025, the two companies based in North Carolina and Indiana, respectively, were each convicted of 20 citations with penalties related to the shipment of illegal invasive species to customers in eight Wisconsin counties. 

One company was convicted of 20 citations in circuit courts in Barron, Brown, Chippewa, Marinette, Milwaukee, Sauk, Sheboygan and Washington counties. The second company was convicted of 20 citations only in Brown County Circuit Court.

Lt. Robert Stroess, DNR Administrative Warden and head of the Aquatic Species in Trade Enforcement Program, says the investigations started about two years ago when the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Law Enforcement Committee conducted educational outreach to national suppliers of aquatic species to educate them about the risks associated with invasive species and state laws governing them.

After learning that the companies were still shipping to Wisconsin, wardens got involved.

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DNR Conservation Wardens Sam Haferkorn of Milwaukee County and Ryan Caputo of Dane County investigated and found shipments of suspected invasive crayfish into Wisconsin by the defendants.

“In addition to companies learning the Wisconsin laws, we also advise consumers, whether they’re buying for a crayfish boil or for educational purposes, to educate themselves about the legal species and the companies with whom they place orders,” Stroess said. “Our waters and native aquatic species are important to Wisconsin and we can work together to keep them healthy and thriving.”

Non-native crayfish species are illegal in Wisconsin due to disease concerns, their ability to outcompete native species and enormous financial costs for remediating an infested site. In 2009, red swamp crayfish were found in two retention ponds in Germantown, costing approximately $800,000 to eradicate them over several years.

The only crayfish species that are native to Wisconsin are the following species: 

• Devil crayfish (Cambarus diogenes)
• Calico crayfish (Orconectes immunis or Faxonius immunis)
• Northern Clearwater crayfish (Orconectes propinquus or Faxonius propinquis)
• Virile crayfish (Orconectes virilis or Faxonius virilis)
• White River crayfish (Procambarus acutus)
• Prairie crayfish (Procambarus gracilis)

More information is available on the DNR’s Invasive Species webpage.