Chagrin Falls: Keeping fish caught in nature preserve's pond is now a crime

Posted by Amanda E. Garrett October 15, 2008 Anyone caught frying up a catch of the day from the Whitesburg Nature Preserve's fishing pond will now face a fine and possible jail time.

Chagrin Falls Council passed an ordinance Monday (Oct. 13) that would only allow catch-and-release fishing at the pond.

The pond was originally designed as a place for residents to teach their children how to fish, but it has become an increasingly popular angling spot through the years, Village Administrator Ben Himes said at a Sept. 22 meeting of council's facilities and services committee.

Village workers have to continually re-stock the pond because the fish keep disappearing, Himes said. The cost of re-stocking the pond is around $500 per year.

Anyone violating the ordinance will be guilty of a third-degree misdemeanor, which has a maximum fine of $500 and 60 days in jail.