Oyster thieves may drive out business
A Bay of Islands oyster farmer says shellfish thieves could drive him out of business after more than 30 years in the industry.
Public health officials have warned that the stolen oysters could make people sick, given that they are often taken when the Bay is closed to harvesting due to possible contamination.
Steve Van Veen, who owns an oyster farm in the Waikare Inlet, has been hit by thieves three times in the past month, with about $1000 worth of shop-ready shellfish stolen each time. He had been farming oysters for 34 years, and in the first 30 years had lost just three bags of shellfish.
“But it’s got really bad lately. Whoever’s doing it is taking them to sell them. It’s not just for a feed,” he said.
The thief or thieves were targeting shellfish that had been harvested, ‘de-clumped,’ or separated, placed in mesh bags and left on racks to fatten up until they were ready for market.
“You’ve done all the work and spent all the time and money getting them ready to go, then somebody just goes out and helps themselves. It makes it tough,” Mr Van Veen said.
“The way it’s going it could make the business unviable. At $1000 a hit I’m losing $600-$700 a week. That’s a person’s wages.”
He agreed that people who ate stolen shellfish were also putting their health at risk, oysters potentially causing illness if they were harvested at the wrong time, for example after heavy rain. Those who bought oysters illegally had no way of knowing if they had been harvested at a safe time.
Meanwhile, another farm, in Te Puna Inlet, at the other end of the Bay, was raided earlier last week. Owner Pene Waitai, a life-long oyster farmer, said eight trays, each containing about 25 dozen oysters, had been stolen on Monday night. The theft would cost his family business more than $1000.
The oysters had been left on a pontoon overnight, and were about to go back into the water because the Bay was currently closed to harvesting.
“I sometimes catch guys on the farm and tell them they can’t help themselves, but I’ve never had full trays taken before,” Mr Waitai said.
“They seem to think it’s okay to take from farms. It just doesn’t get through to them. A lot of farms are just small family businesses and it’s hard work. There’s plenty of wild oysters around. Why don’t they pick their own?”
He suspected the stolen shellfish were being sold to friends and via word of mouth. Mr Van Veen had reported the raids to police, but said preventing oyster thefts was difficult. Friends had told him he needed to stay on his farm overnight and keep guard, “but then what happens when you’re out there, someone comes along and there’s a confrontation?”
The thieves were ditching the mesh bags in the inlet. The bags were washing up onshore, creating an eyesore and a hazard for marine life.
In 2017 Whangaroa oyster farmer Owen Robertson lost half a tonne of the shellfish in one night, and, unimpressed by the police response, began his own investigation. He eventually tracked down CCTV footage that led to a former employee. Mr Robertson found some of his sacks and oysters at the man’s property at Totara North.
Matthew Smith pleaded guilty in the Kaikohe District Court to taking five bags of oysters and was ordered to pay reparation, but that still left Mr Robertson out of pocket for the other 33 bags taken the same night. The Disputes Tribunal ordered Smith to pay another $1815 for the rest of the oysters.
"There’s plenty of wild oysters around. Why don’t they pick their own?"