“It would have taken a number of people to do it. I don’t believe you could even do it with two people.”
The thieves used the business' barge to empty the oysters into nearby bins.
Gregory said the discovery of the sheer volume lost felt “gut-wrenching”.
“So much time, energy and money. It’s something you can’t recoup.”
He said there was no possibility of claiming on insurance as it did not cover loss of produce.
Police were notified of the theft on Wednesday and Gregory understood they were trawling through CCTV to find those responsible.
He said oyster farmers were extremely vulnerable to theft because it was difficult to monitor farms 24 hours a day.
Qyster is based near Aroha Island in the Kerikeri inlet.
However, the Marine Farmers' Association was discussing how to address the issue.
“The way of thinking at the moment is that oyster farmers are going to start putting signs up making it very clear to thieves [that] you will be prosecuted.”
Another method to stop oyster farmers being targeted was the possibility of land-based oysters.
“There’s no cashflow at all and we’ve still got to maintain our staff and meet the overheads.
“It’s tough.”
Northland Police acting Detective Senior Sergeant Christan Fouhy said inquiries were being made into the theft.
He asked anyone with information to make contact by calling 105 using reference number 250206/2212.
Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
