Something's Fishy: Halibut, Lobsters Missing From SEA Lab

No ifs, and or halibuts about it -- there's something fishy about this case.

Thieves broke into the Redondo Beach SEA Lab during the weekend and left with two large halibut and more than 20 lobsters. The animals would have been released at sea.

Employees arriving for work Sunday morning found the two fish missing  from an outdoor halibut tank. Traces of blood were found on the ground, program director Brent  Scheiwe told the Daily Breeze.

The halibut are believed to be about 10 years old. They weigh about 30 pounds apiece and measure more than 3 feet in length.

Children like to peer over the top of the tank for an up-close view of the marine life. Scheiwe told The Breeze that the halibut "basically educated thousands of kids that came through the SEA  Lab, and that's the real tragedy."

As for the lobsters, authorities said the thieves took about 20 -- probably to eat or sell. Some of the California spiny lobsters were 1 foot long.

They had been saved from a nearbly power plant's intake pipes.

The SEA Lab is a program of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, a  nonprofit that offers paid job training and education to local youths, with a  focus on environmental projects.

Despite the thefts, Scheiwe said the free aquarium on Harbor Drive will  be open for much of the holiday season. Anyone with information on the break-in  was urged to call Redondo Beach police at 310-379-2477, Ext. 2714.