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An alligator gar in a drawing commissioned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

PLEASANTON -- A Livermore man accused of selling three banned species, including one that can grow to more than 9 feet and 350 pounds, to state Fish and Game wardens pled not guilty in court Tuesday.

Jared Paul Heald, 30, did not appear in Judge Huge Walker's Alameda County Superior Courtroom, but his attorney Phil Schnayerson entered the plea on his behalf.

Heald was cited Aug. 31, 2011 for three misdemeanors after allegedly selling three species of fish -- alligator gar, spotted gar and bowfin fish -- to undercover game wardens, who answered an ad posted by Heald on Craigslist.

"Fish and Game came down on him like he had a bomb," Schnayerson said to Walker. "They came down on him hard."

Fish and

game have a lengthy list of banned species that includes everything from ferrets to alligator gar, which are one of North America's largest fish and are native to waters near the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast U.S.

Alligator gar, spotted gar and bowfin fish pose a threat to California waterways, particularly the Delta, because of their predatory nature and the threat they pose to California's native fish, said Peter Moyle, a fish biologist at UC Davis.

Heald is due back in court on Sept. 13. He faces a fine of up to $1,000 and or six months in jail for each count if found guilty.

Contact Robert Jordan 925-847-2184. Follow him at Twitter.com/robjordan127.


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