OK, I read the two articles and I see why the interest. I will report them, although I have no evidence - if I had known the significance at the time, I would have caught and/or photographed them for proof.
For what its worth mudpuppies are mainly nocturnal ... we see lots at night in the oxford mills area near Ottawa ... if you ever get a chance to hold one you might be surprised. They are very docile (at least in winter) and are not slimy. More squishy !!