It was the bust heard around the world - or at least around Maine. The seizure of 10 illegal koi fish from an aquarium at China Rose, a Freeport restaurant, has game wardens defending their actions and the owner, Cuong Ly, steamed.

The fish, you see, are from away.

If released into Maine waters, the koi could threaten native species. And they've been illegal to possess in Maine for decades. Hence the bust by wardens, after a couple of visits to try to discuss the matter with Ly.

Of course, there are two sides to every story. Ly says he'd had the fish for 15 years without a problem. Why would he have taken the warden warnings seriously? And besides the emotional distress of losing his fish, he says he faces bad luck, since the koi were good luck charms.

Actually, there are three sides to every story - at least online. The day the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram ran the story, people were on it like duck sauce on an egg roll, visiting MaineToday.com and posting more than 120 comments as of this writing.

Many found the bust silly, saying the wardens face bigger threats than a restaurateur with some contraband fish. DE was among those users, saying, "Go after the poachers who shot deer, moose and birds out of season or the fisherman that is catching way too many fish. Get out on the ponds and into the woods, not . . . a restaurant. C'mon, Get a grip!"

I don't know Ly, but he's probably an otherwise upstanding citizen. (In fact, many of you posting comments vouched for him, and I believe everything I read on the Internet). His infraction pales in comparison to someone picking off deer without a permit or dumping northern pike into Sebago Lake. Certainly there are worse threats to Maine's fisheries and wildlife that the wardens could target.

Right?

Well, sure. But as a user named Sara said, wardens are charged with pursuing all crimes, big or small: "Wardens are law enforcement - they enforce the law. If you disagree with the law, talk to your legislator and try to have it changed. The wardens were only doing their job."

Still more of you thought it unnecessary to target Ly because even if the fish were illegal, he'd had them for so long. And since he had a personal attachment to his fish, he surely didn't intend to release them into Maine waters.

Steve was one user making that case: "Taking koi from tanks because of fish and game laws would be reasonable if the owners were suspect of disposing of them in rivers and streams. In this case, the koi were beloved pets and removing them from their home could prove fatal. Some laws should be open to interpretation by law enforcement."

Why not make an exception just this one time? Some suggested that the wardens could have given Ly a grandfathered permit or have monitored the fish to make certain he was handling them responsibly.

Doug brought the argument back down to planet Earth, saying that making exceptions was impractical from a logistical standpoint, and could set a dangerous precedent: "Now, would Mr. Ly have let his fish go if they got too big? Who the heck knows? Even if he wouldn't, for everyone that would keep their overly large fish, there is someone else out there who wouldn't."

In other words, them's the rules.

Some, like Naran, saw the bust as a sign that Maine was bent on quashing our freedoms.

"BEWARE, all those who have any intention of actually LIVING in Maine. You may rent here, pay your 'rental fees' to the state, but forget about actually OWNING anything here. First it's cigarettes, next it's fireworks, now it's fish, fer cryin' out loud."

How's it go? First they came for the koi, but I did not speak up because I did not own koi; then they came for me but it was too late because there were no koi to speak up for me?

Soon, the comments took a turn for the baffling.

Someone blamed George Bush for the incident. A few blamed liberals. Two - count 'em - likened the bust to the Elian Gonalez debacle and said it would bring down the Baldacci administration.

Still another said Ly shouldn't have been targeted because his food is so darned good. Another demanded the return of the fish because her grandson loves them. And one person took the opportunity to tell us to support the troops - after saying they supported the wardens.

Finally, one user decided to test the pun waters. Weighing in on the issue, Ron said, "Ly thought they were joking - but the bureaucrats were anything but koi."

For the record, I think he's a Ly supporter; there was a frowny emoticon after his comment.

Or was it a fish face?

Colleen Stone can be reached by e-mail, but if you have a comment about this piece, please post it below.