He killed 6,250 crustaceans in Hawaii stream, cops say. His fine is $100 — per animal

A record price for a prawn — a tasty shrimp-like crustacean — may have been set in Hawaii, after the state fined a man $100 for every one he allegedly killed by pouring ant poison into a stream.

An estimated 6,250 Tahitian prawns died, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a release.

That means Hilo resident Wayne Keaulana Spatz, 54, must pay $633,840, after the state tacked on additional penalties for the overtime paid to staff while collecting evidence against him, officials said.

Prawn and shrimp are different members of the decapod order, though “the prawn and shrimp are used interchangeably for many species,” according to Healthline.com.

The fine, announced Friday, is the the largest assessed against someone for violating the state’s aquatic resource laws, Hawaii officials said.

“Over the past week, we’ve received additional reports of individuals using pesticides or chemicals used in pesticides to poison streams for the sole purpose of collecting prawns to sell for human consumption,” wildlife department Chair Suzanne Case said in a release. “It is illegal, despicable, and morally indefensible and anyone caught will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The state says it received an anonymous tip in July that Spatz was seen pouring ant poison into Paheehee Stream in North Hilo. Soil and dead marine life samples “tested positive for bifenthrin, which is an active ingredient used in insect repellent,” officials said.

“The illegal and unethical use of these pesticides in streams have shown to cause extremely damaging and long-lasting effects to all aquatic stream animals, native and non-native,” the state said.

“These pesticides are highly toxic to all aquatic animals and result in extensive recovery time, particularly for native and endemic stream life. Typically, non-native and invasive species are the first to repopulate these impacted streams. Therefore, these types of activities can severely alter the natural biological conditions and overall health of the stream ecosystem.”

This story was originally published May 17, 2021 at 7:50 AM with the headline "He killed 6,250 crustaceans in Hawaii stream, cops say. His fine is $100 — per animal."