RICHMOND – A diagnostic laboratory received permission to import 80 koi from Japan for research that aims to create an affordable test for identifying a virus that can be lethal to the ornamental fish.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife granted a permit to Micro Technologies Inc. at the same meeting last month in which it allowed a Freeport restaurateur to keep his koi under tight restrictions including embedding them with microchips.

In Maine it’s illegal to import koi without a state permit. State wildlife biologists fear they could supplant native fish if they’re released into the wild.

Micro Technologies wants to develop a nonlethal diagnostic test to determine if koi have been infected with a specific virus. As it stands, the only test available for the virus is lethal; it requires a kidney sample, which kills the fish.

Scientists say the virus, called the koi herpes virus, is deadly and has the potential to wipe out entire koi populations if undetected.

A nonlethal test for the virus would be valuable. Outside Maine, koi collectors pay anywhere from $10 to $1 million for the fish, which are prized in Asian cultures for their beauty and spiritual value.

The state initially rejected Micro Technologies’ application to import the fish but it granted the permit during an appeal process.

The lab will infect the koi with the virus; the fish eventually will be incinerated, said G. Russell Danner, the state’s pathologist. “Their fish will not be on public display and will be kept in a quarantined facility,” Danner said.

The virus only affects koi and carp and poses no danger to humans.

“The disease can spread quickly, killing fish within a matter of days,” said Cem Giray, the company’s chief scientific officer. “This disease has caused millions of dollars of loss in multiple countries.”

The Micro Technologies research is being funded with an $80,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.