‘Our smoked salmon is just that good:’ Thieves steal 100 pounds of Seattle fish

Thieves made off with thousands of dollars and over 100 pounds of smoked salmon from a Central District fish market on Sunday, according to the business’s owner.

Desiree Chinn told KIRO Newsradio her employees found evidence of a break-in when they came to open Seattle Fish Guys on Sunday morning.

“He went to the back and he saw the back rummaged through, and he immediately thought someone broke in,” she said.

“The office was — all over the floor,” she added.

Chinn said the damage wasn’t typical for burglaries she’s seen, referencing a trend of thieves using cars to smash into storefronts. Instead, Chinn said she found the front door with its deadbolt lock drilled through.

“They took some cash from the back, some office junk,” she said. “But they mainly took all the smoked salmon. We had it piled high, and they specifically took all the smoked salmon.”

“A hundred pounds at least,” she added.

Chinn showed KIRO Newsradio photos of the aftermath of the alleged burglary, with one image showing thieves had broken open an employee’s locker. Chinn said they also stole a bottle of champagne an employee was keeping for his birthday.

She said the business has surveillance cameras but the cameras were not working at the time of the burglary.

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But even without the video evidence, Chinn suspects the burglars are customers. She said they would’ve needed to have knowledge of some of the items they stole, including jerky and salmon collar, which she said was packaged inconspicuously.

“They’re probably once a customer, knows what it tastes like and now wants it,” she said. “The way they cut the lock, it’s not someone you think is homeless or looking for just something (like) cash. It’s definitely someone who knows what they’re doing and has been around this area already.”

She’s confused as to why the thieves stole fish, valued at $27.99 per pound, instead of valuable, non-perishable merchandise, like alcohol.

“They need to keep it refrigerated or they’re going to have to eat a lot of it,” Chinn said.

The business posted about the burglary on its Facebook page on Monday, telling customers that despite the setback, it would still reopen this week.

The post garnered hundreds of reactions and comments from customers, with some promising to leave extra tips and expressing sympathy for the loss.

In response to one such comment, Seattle Fish Guys replied, “Our smoked salmon is that good that they are stealing it!! Those A-holes even took the jerky and smoked collars… (if you know, you know).”

KIRO Newsradio has reached out to the Seattle Police Department to ask about the theft.

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