FORT MYERS, Fla. — The alleged theft was unusual, to say the least.
Deputies in Florida are searching for a young man accused of going Wednesday night to a Bass Pro Shops, where he used a large net to scoop a fish out of one of the store’s indoor ponds. Video from inside the store shows him smiling as he walks away with the squirming creature, identified as a tarpon.
He then left the store, accompanied by a woman and a second man who recorded the incident with a GoPro camera, according to the Fort Myers News-Press. The unidentified man’s motive was unclear.
Detectives from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office are working with the agency’s Animal Cruelty Task Force, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers.
In a Facebook post, deputies made jokes about the caper.
“We’re #FishingForInformation & would love nothin’ more than to Chum it up with this guy,” the post read. “Don’t get caught Aiding & A-bait-ing.”
The tarpon is among the “threatened” species of fish in the U.S. According to Fish and Wildlife officials, the fish, known for their shiny silvery scales, are on the “catch-and-release” list.
“One tarpon tag per person per year may be purchased when in pursuit of a Florida state or world record,” the agency’s website reads. “Vessel transport and shipment limited to one fish.”
Anyone with information on the incident or the suspect can reach SWFL Crimestoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS or online at southwestfloridacrimestoppers.com. Lee County detectives can be reached at 239-477-1000.
