(a) It shall be unlawful to release any aquatic life into the wild in this State without first securing permission of the Department to do so, except that the owner of a body of water may release aquatic life indigenous to the State of Illinois into waters wholly upon his or her property. The Department shall have the authority to promulgate necessary rules and regulations, under the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, regulating the possession, transportation, and shipping of aquatic life not indigenous to the State of Illinois. All aquatic life may be immediately returned unharmed from where they were taken. A violation of this subsection (a) is a Class B misdemeanor.
     (b) It is unlawful to possess, transport, or release any live specimen or viable gametes of any species listed as injurious by administrative rule, unless authorized by that rule. A violation of this subsection (b) is a Class A misdemeanor.

Attorney's Note

Under the Illinois Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class A misdemeanorup to 1 yearup to $2,500
Class B misdemeanorup to 6 monthsup to $1,500
For details, see § Ill. Comp. Stat. 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-55 and § Ill. Comp. Stat. 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-60

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Terms Used In Illinois Compiled Statutes 515 ILCS 5/10-100

  • State: when applied to different parts of the United States, may be construed to include the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" may be construed to include the said district and territories. See Illinois Compiled Statutes 5 ILCS 70/1.14