Unraveling the Mystery: How Did Hundreds of Dead Lobsters End Up Near the Trans-Canada Highway?
In a bizarre turn of events, hundreds of dead lobsters were discovered in a ditch near the Trans-Canada Highway, sparking a police investigation like no other. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) issued a public notice emphasizing the illegality of dumping on highways, yet the origins of the lobsters remain shrouded in mystery.
The Discovery Const. Mario Chitaroni, while patrolling the highway near North Bay, received an unusual call. A driver reported a strange sight near a snowplow turnaround. At first glance, Chitaroni couldn’t see anything amiss, but a pungent odor led him to the shocking discovery—piles of dead lobsters, claws still banded, rotting in the summer heat.
“There had to be hundreds of them,” Chitaroni recalled. The scene was as puzzling as it was tragic, with one lobster seemingly attempting to crawl back to water, only to die on the pavement. The lobsters had clearly been left to rot for at least a day in the 30°C temperatures of July.
A Seafood Mystery The situation baffled both the police and the seafood industry. Typically, live lobsters are shipped by air, especially when traveling long distances. It’s rare for them to be transported by road, particularly as far north as North Bay—400 kilometers from Toronto. Why were these lobsters in Northern Ontario, far from their typical destinations?
Local OPP sergeant Juliane Porritt quickly recognized the danger the lobsters posed. Not to the public directly, but to the local wildlife. Dead lobsters could attract black bears, leading to dangerous encounters on the highway. “Bears on the highway can be deadly,” she warned, “both for the animals and for drivers.”
To mitigate the threat, a provincial roadkill crew swiftly removed the lobsters. However, the mystery of how they ended up there was far from resolved. Porritt began reaching out to seafood industry professionals and government officials to track the origins of the lobsters. Despite extensive research, one key detail had been overlooked: no one preserved a band from the lobster claws, which could have helped trace their source.
A Fundraising Event Gone Wrong? A curious lead emerged involving a local Rotary Club fundraiser held just weeks before the discovery. The Nipissing Rotary Club had organized a lobster supper, ordering nearly 900 pounds of lobster from New Brunswick. A delivery mishap initially delayed the lobsters, but thanks to some quick logistics, the seafood arrived in time for the event.
Despite this connection, the organizer, Maria Maille, quickly dismissed any link between her event and the dumped lobsters. “Those lobsters were cooked before shipment,” Maille clarified, noting that the highway lobsters were uncooked, vindicating her event.
A Lobster Heist on the East Coast The investigation took an unexpected turn when a robbery was reported at a wharf in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick. Misty Harbour Seafood reported that 800 pounds of live lobster had been stolen from a storage container. Could this be the same batch of lobsters that ended up dead near North Bay?
Megan Thompson, who runs Misty Harbour, believed it was likely. “The timing matches,” she said, noting that lobsters can only survive a few days out of water. Without a way to sell them, the thieves may have abandoned the lobsters in a panic.
The RCMP followed up on tips that the stolen lobsters were being sold locally, but no substantial leads materialized. While it’s not unheard of for criminals to flee to Ontario, Cpl. Jayson Hansen of the RCMP believed the culprits likely dumped the lobsters after encountering a weigh station or fearing arrest.
A Wasteful End Despite various theories, the case remains unresolved. The RCMP’s investigation into the Misty Harbour heist stalled due to a lack of evidence. And while the lobster dumping near North Bay has caused a minor media frenzy, there are no concrete answers as to how or why hundreds of lobsters met their unfortunate fate on the side of the highway.
For Const. Chitaroni, the most troubling part wasn’t the rotting lobsters or the smell—it was the waste. “Hundreds of lobsters pulled from the ocean, only to die in a ditch. It’s disgusting.”
Source: Swifteradio.com
