Australian police hunt thieves in $250,000 oyster heist

Australian police said Wednesday they were on the hunt for thieves who made off with hundreds of thousands of oysters.

The molluscs have an estimated total value of Aus$350,000 (US$250,000) and were lifted from an oyster farm near the town of Taree, north of Sydney, New South Wales police said.

Over three hundred bags, containing 400,000 oysters, were stolen.

Police are urging the public to come forward with any information they might have about the theft, which they said happened "earlier this year" but was only reported to them on Tuesday.

Oysters are a staple of brunch menus and seafood buffets across Australia, with local varieties famed for their rich, creamy flavour.

Oyster grower Ryan Freeman told national broadcaster ABC he had lost a third of his stock.

"We probably get through 35,000 to 40,000 dozen at Christmas time," he said.

"That's why the thieves would have targeted them because they're not going to be far off, they're going to be able to sell them this Christmas," he added.

"It's going to have a massive impact."