The recent heist of 40,000 oysters from a farm in Falmouth is now believed to be the first of a series of thefts in a wider New England seafood-stealing ring whose snatches include lobster worth $400,000 and a cache of crabmeat, authorities say.
The first seafood vanished November 22 in Falmouth, where authorities say someone stole 14 cages full of oysters from an aquaculture site off the Portland coast.
Many of the oysters were full-grown and ready for sale, and together with the cages were worth $20,000, according to the Maine Marine Patrol.
“This is a devastating situation for a small businessman,” Marine Patrol Sgt. Matthew Sinclair told The Associated Press.
The other two thefts happened in Taunton, Massachusetts, about 160 miles away.
First, a load of crab disappeared after leaving the Lineage Logistics warehouse on December 2.
Then, on December 12, lobster meat destined for Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota was stolen by a fraudulent trucking company, according to the broker who arranged the pickup.
In the Falmouth case, criminals made off with 14 aquaculture cages and roughly 40,000 oysters growing near The Brothers Islands in Casco Bay.
Portland farmer Michael Scafuro discovered the theft on November 22 when he checked his aquaculture site and found the cages, many holding oysters ready for sale, gone.
Marine Patrol officers searched the area to determine whether the equipment might have broken free, but no debris or gear was recovered.
Only the ropes, anchors, and buoys used to secure the cages remained.
