A Freeport, Maine, Chinese restaurant operator says the $20,000 he paid to wage a court battle was worth the return of his koi.

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Cuong Ly, owner of the China Rose restaurant, keeps 10 of the brightly colored fish in a large tank by the restaurant's entrance. However, he was forced to go to court to keep the fish, which are illegal without a permit in the state, when state authorities seized them, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Mark Randlett, the assistant attorney general who handled the case, said koi are illegal without a permit because of their invasive nature.

"They can disrupt the ecosystem, eat available food, compete with other fish for their food," Randlett told the newspaper.

However, Ly said the fish have a different meaning to the Chinese.

"Koi fish, in my culture, are one of the good-luck signs for business and life," he said in he Times' article. "We're not just growing fish for the prettiness of it; we're growing fish for the custom of bringing good luck and prosperity."

"People ask me if it was worth it," Ly said of his high court fees, "and, yes, it was worth every penny to stand up for a principle."