Harpswell woman’s bid to keep exotic fish denied

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Maine’s highest court has ruled that a Harpswell woman doesn’t have the right to keep exotic fish at her home.

The Supreme Judicial Court this week backed a lower court ruling and said state wildlife officials were correct in denying Georgette Curran a permit to keep koi. Maine considers the fish native to Japan an invasive species.

The 66-year-old Curran had a permit that expired in April 2012, then got a restricted permit in July 2012 while her legal challenge was pending.

The court did not specify what Curran is supposed to do with her fish, or give her a deadline for getting rid of them, but she vowed to keep them.

She tells the Kennebec Journal (https://bit.ly/1eWY8fO ) she will seek a permit for the koi, which she says are therapeutic.

___

Information from: Kennebec Journal, https://www.kjonline.com/