Police investigate theft of 400,000 oysters in NSW

A significant oyster theft has left a grower on the NSW Mid North Coast devastated, with police investigating the disappearance of 400,000 juvenile oysters. Ryan Freeman, owner of Latitude 31 Oysters, discovered the theft on Tuesday morning from his leases on Scotts Creek at Oxley Island.

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We noticed our floating gear and tumblers were missing.

Police estimate the value of the stolen oysters at $350,000, but Freeman puts the total loss of stock and equipment at closer to $400,000. He noted that 80 percent of the stolen oysters were destined for sale during the busy Christmas period. "That’s why the thieves would have targeted them because they're not going to be far off, they're going to be able to sell them this Christmas," Freeman said.

The theft represents a major setback for Freeman, who is still recovering from last year's floods. "It's going to have a massive impact," he stated. The process of growing Sydney rock oysters to maturity takes three to four years, meaning the stolen stock cannot be easily replaced. Freeman estimates he has lost a third of his livestock.

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It's going to have a massive impact, we're only recovering from the floods last year.

"I understand everyone is doing it tough, but I don't believe stealing and taking from someone else is going to help someone else; all you've done is take someone else out for a small reward and high risk," Freeman said, expressing his dismay at the crime. He believes the theft has set his business back another two to three years.

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That’s why the thieves would have targeted them because they're not going to be far off, they're going to be able to sell them this Christmas.

NSW Police are appealing for information and urging anyone with CCTV footage or other details to come forward. The incident highlights the vulnerability of aquaculture operations to theft and the significant financial and operational damage such crimes can inflict.

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It takes three to four years to grow a Sydney rock oyster.