A Griffith man is in hot water after admitting he imported over 2,600 pounds of live catfish to a Plainfield, Illinois, lake without a permit.

Michael Sullivan pleaded guilty last month in Will County, Illinois, to one count of importing live fish without a permit, according to a news release from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The fish were bought in Mississippi and Alabama and dumped into the lake three times last year, the release stated.

He received two years probation. Sullivan was ordered to repay $10,500 to the agency’s Conservation Police Operations Assistance Fund and must perform 30 hours of community service.

Officials said catfish can contract diseases, such as viral hemorrhagic septicemia, that can kill native fish and wreak havoc on the ecosystem.

“While (the disease) has been found in the Great Lakes, currently we have not detected this disease outside of Lake Michigan in Illinois,” IDNR assistant chief of fisheries Kevin Irons said.

“Importing and stocking untested fish significantly increases the risks to our resources and undercuts others within the industry abiding by the law,” said IDNR Conservation Police Officer Brandon Fehrenbacher. “These types of conservation offenses can be complex and time-consuming in an already-overburdened court system.”

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office and Will County State’s Attorney led the case.

“I appreciate the partnership of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Will County state’s attorney as we worked to hold this individual accountable for illegally importing live fish and jeopardizing our environment,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a statement. “Our state’s ecosystems and natural resources are delicate and should be preserved for years to come.”