DUBOIS COUNTY, Ind. — A southern Indiana woman caught more than she bargained for as she’s now being charged for the illegal taking of a protected paddlefish.
According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, paddlefish are an ancient, native fish that are protected in Indiana due to their diminishing population. It is illegal to fish paddlefish for sport. They can only be legally taken from the Ohio River with a roe harvester’s license, which is capped at 15 a year.
DNR says a 45-year-old woman from Birdseye violated this protective order by illegally taking a paddlefish from the Patoka Lake spillway on Feb. 16.
An investigation into the incident brought DNR officers to her door in Crawford County, where the woman was taken into custody for violating the protective order. She is also charged with misdemeanor unlawful possession of a paddlefish…