An NSW oyster farmer has been left reeling after thieves made off with 400,000 juvenile oysters valued at approximately $350,000 from his leases on the state's Mid North Coast — in what he believes was a carefully planned and targeted operation.
Ryan Freeman, owner of Latitude 31 Oyster Co, said his team discovered the theft when they went to inspect their stock on Scotts Creek at Oxley Island, near Taree. What initially appeared to be a case of missing bags quickly revealed itself to be something far more serious.
What the Thieves Took — and How It Was Discovered
When Freeman's crew arrived to check on their gear, they noticed a significant number of aquaculture bags had vanished from several lines. A closer inspection revealed the full scale of the crime: not only had around 320 bags been removed entirely, but the oysters had been emptied out of the remaining bags as well.
"We sort of just thought someone's stolen some of our bags, which is bad enough, but then as we started to go through and inspect a lot further, we noticed that they'd actually emptied all our other oyster bags as well," Freeman said. "So it wasn't just a small theft, it was quite substantial."
Police were contacted on Tuesday morning and estimated the total value of the stolen stock at $350,000. Freeman believes the theft likely occurred within the past month — a window that went undetected because juvenile oysters require minimal supervision between placements and re-grading checks.
"Because they're juvenile oysters, we sort of set and forget," he explained. "We'll go put them out and we won't see them for another two or three months until we go back to re-grade and thin them out as they grow."
A Targeted Operation on a Massive Scale
Freeman was unequivocal that this was no opportunistic theft. Moving three to four tonnes of oysters from a working aquaculture lease requires planning, equipment, and manpower — pointing to an organised effort rather than a casual incident.
"It's obviously a big operation to try and move three to four tonne of oyster," he said. "So this isn't a small operation — like this is obviously targeted."
Adding to the sting of the loss, the stolen oysters are not ready for market. They require a further four to six months of growing time before they could be sold, meaning whoever took them must either have the means to continue farming the stock or intends to sell them well below their true value.
For Freeman, who has operated his business for six years, the discovery was a gut punch. "It sort of didn't dawn on me at first because I was in shock. I just couldn't believe the volume that had been taken," he said.
This kind of brazen theft is not entirely new to the criminal landscape — large-scale, targeted theft operations have made headlines around the world — but for a regional Australian farming community, the impact is acutely personal.
Industry Already Under Pressure
Freeman noted the theft comes at an already difficult time for oyster producers across NSW. The industry has endured a bruising stretch marked by flooding events and the spread of QX disease, a seasonal illness that affects Sydney rock oysters and compounds the financial strain on growers.
"Everyone's doing it tough, but I just don't think going and stealing from your fellow oyster farmer is the answer," Freeman said.
NSW is home to around 230 oyster farming businesses, and the sector produced approximately 70 million oysters worth $78 million at the farm gate during the 2023–24 financial year — underscoring how vital the industry is to regional economies along the coast.
Investigation Underway
Police have launched an investigation into the theft. Anyone with information, footage, or other evidence that could assist investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
