New England fisheries and freight operators reported separate thefts of shellfish cargo and lobster meat valued at about $400,000, spanning incidents in Maine and Massachusetts within weeks of each other, according to Associated Press reporting published Dec. 30.
The first incident came Nov. 22 in Falmouth, Maine, where authorities suspected someone stole 14 cages full of oysters from an aquaculture site in Casco Bay. Many of the oysters were full-grown and ready for sale, and the cages and contents were worth $20,000, the Maine Marine Patrol said.
Marine Patrol Sgt. Matthew Sinclair characterized the theft as financially and operationally harmful for a small operator. “This is a devastating situation for a small businessman,” Sinclair said, according to the AP.
Two other thefts were reported in Taunton, Massachusetts, about 160 miles from Falmouth. One theft involved crab that disappeared after leaving the Lineage Logistics warehouse on Dec. 2, while another involved lobster meat shipments described as destined for Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota that were stolen on Dec. 12.
Dylan Rexing, CEO of Rexing Companies, said the Dec. 12 lobster theft involved a fraudulent carrier that impersonated a real trucking company. “The carrier we hired impersonated a real carrier,” Rexing said. “They had a spoofed email address. They changed the name on the side of the truck. The made a fake certified driver’s license. It’s a very sophisticated crime,” he said.
Rexing said Lineage Logistics, Costco and Taunton Police did not respond to requests for comment. He also said police told him about the crab theft from the same warehouse.
Freight theft has been a persistent problem, Rexing said, adding that it has accelerated in recent years. “It happens every day, multiple times a day,” he said.
Industry officials described cargo theft as falling into at least two categories. Chris Burroughs, president and CEO of the Transportation Intermediaries Association, said the lobster theft fit the first type—impersonation of legitimate trucking companies—while the second type, “strategic theft,” often relies on phishing emails to gain access to computer systems and get paid without taking the physical product.
Burroughs said the problem “is a massive growing problem that needs to get addressed,” according to the AP report. He said the stolen lobster’s short shelf life likely meant it ended up at restaurants.
Rexing said he has seen jokes about stealing other items to go with seafood, but he argued consumers ultimately pay when theft disrupts the supply chain. “Whether you eat seafood or not, they’re stealing other items. They’re stealing items to build your cars. They’re stealing items that go into computers,” Rexing said. “Ultimately, that cost gets thrown to the consumer.”