FORT MYERS, Fla. (WFLA) – Florida officials are searching for a man who allegedly stole a large fish from a Bass Pro Shops in Fort Myers.
The unidentified suspect is accused of entering the Bass Pro Shops location with a net and scooping a tarpon out of the store's indoor pond, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
Part of the incident, which unfolded Wednesday, was also caught on camera. Bystander video provided by the sheriff's office showed the man carrying the flopping animal through the sales floor, followed by another man who appeared to be filming.
The sheriff's office is working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to investigate the alleged theft. According to FWC, tarpon are a protected species and, if caught in the wild, must be released.
"We’re #FishingForInformation and would love nothin’ more than to chum it up with this guy," the sheriff's office wrote in its pun-filled social media post. "Don't get caught aiding and a-bait-ing."
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the sheriff's office or Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers.