YARMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Officials say they have seized and destroyed about 500 oysters being grown illegally in Massachusetts.
Yarmouth Division of Natural Resources director Karl von Hone tells the Cape Cod Times officers found the oysters Monday in Parkers River while investigating a report of an injured swan.
Von Hone says the grower did not have a permit, and he received the seeds as a gift from out of state.
Von Hone says the oysters had been growing for more than six months.
The officers poured bleach on the oysters to destroy them. Von Hone says shellfishing is tightly regulated, and they didn’t want to risk diseases being introduced to the water or a person who consumed the illegally grown oysters.
Von Hone says officials are exploring possible disciplinary action.
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)