Waterborne thieves have raided an oyster farm on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, stealing 400,000 young oysters worth about $350,000 AUD (£177,000). The theft has wiped out around a third of the grower's total stock. The large-scale theft is being investigated by the New South Wales Police Force. It happened at a remote water lease operated by Latitude 31 Oysters at Scotts Creek on Oxley Island, along the Manning River near Old Bar. According to ABC News Australia, farm owner Ryan Freeman discovered the theft on Tuesday morning, 25 August 2026, when he arrived to prepare his stock for the upcoming Christmas sales season. The thieves removed about 320 mesh bags containing young Sydney rock oysters, as well as floating equipment and sorting gear. Freeman said the total loss, including damaged equipment and stolen hardware, could be as high as $400,000 AUD. "We noticed our floating gear and tumblers were missing," Freeman said while inspecting the oyster leases. The theft comes at a critical time for the business. About 80 per cent of the stolen oysters were due to be harvested and sold before Christmas. The farm usually supplies between 35,000 and 40,000 dozen oysters to Australian markets during the festive season.
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