Police are on the hunt for vandals in Dunedin, after hundreds of salmon were found dead.
The Dunedin Community Salmon Trust is responsible for breeding thousands of salmon and releasing them into the Otago Harbour every year.
Chairman Steve Bennett said after months of vandalism, he was shocked to find someone had turned off their breeding stock pond's aerator.
He estimates a loss of up to $30,000
"And that's not taking into account the three years of food and all the time and effort it's taken to get them to where they were."
He says they lost around 200, mature salmon weighing up to nine kilograms each.
"Well unfortunately by the time they floated to the surface they were dead. We donated some to a local fisherman and the rest were dug into our gardens."
The fish were grown from eggs and weighed up to nine kilograms.
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