'Atrocious': 250 Dungeness crabs dumped beside highway in Northern B.C.

A massive dump of dead crabs along a main northern highway has triggered a major investigation.

The 250 maleDungeness crabs were found rotting beside aHighway 16 rest stop, west of Smithers, B.C.,last week.

Officials believe it's linked to ongoing illegal seafood sales along B.C.'sNorth Coast.

"I've never had an investigation like that, with a bunch of crab dumped," said B.C. Conservation Service Officer Flint Knibbs. "I would say it's very unusual."

Knibbs was one of the first onthe scene, after anonline tipster directed officersto a Highway 16 rest stop, between Moricetown and the Hazeltons.

'It smelled like rotting meat'

"It smelled like rotting meat," said Knibbs. "They were definitely spoiled and starting to smell extremely bad. There were a few birds there starting to pick away at things."

Fisheries officer and DFOfield supervisorCarey Ma took over the investigation.

"It was quite atrocious," Ma said. "Just the visual, seeing that.One of the [DFO] officers called me in the middle of the night and said we need to do more."

Seafood squandered

Ma said they decided to do more by takingtheir investigation public. Hehopes to getmore tips from the public aboutillegal North Coast seafood sales.

Ma said he's upset by the squandering of a food source and the potential impacts of thiscrab dump on the breeding stock.

The crab dump violates the Fisheries Act, which prohibits the waste of any fish suitable for human consumption.