Seafood thieves steal 17,000 oysters from Florida fishery

Know anyone who has recently been shucking an obscene amount of oysters? There might be a reward in it for you if you give up the details leading to an arrest.

Let us explain.

On Tuesday, July 23, Pensacola Bay Oyster Company discovered that about 17,000 of their oysters had been stolen from their East Bay lease, after finding over 35 emptied bags laying in an adjacent wooded area.

The Oyster Company immediately announced the theft on their Instagram and Facebook accounts, stating that there is a reward for anyone who offers useful information about the oyster robber.

“We are offering a reward that leads to the arrest and conviction of the offender(s) of this! Please be patient with us while we work with the police through this investigation” the Pensacola Bay Oyster Company Facebook post reads. “We are extremely frustrated that this event occurred and hope to get some answers!”

The Pensacola Oyster Company is an environmentally conscious, family-owned business that provides locally sourced oysters to the greater Pensacola area, but also focuses on improving the local water quality — this bulk theft has indefinitely impacted their mission to better the gulf’s ecosystem.

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