Oyster company searching for stray trays on P.E.I.

The Raspberry Point Oyster Company is missing thousands of oyster trays and the manager says he would like to have them back.

The trays were borrowed by fishermen using the honour system, but many never made it back, said James Power.

"It's the cornerstone of what we use to count and grade our oysters. So if we're out of those that grinds our business to a halt as far as buying oysters. So if we don't have them we are stuck," he said.

The company posted an ad on Facebook and paid for an ad in a localnewspaper to track down the trays.

"That's what we use to buy oysters from fishermen or aquaculture and that is what we use to store the oysters in," he said.

Power said each tray costs about $8each and he already had to buy new trays this year becausethe business is expanding.

"We ended up spending $400,000 to buy trays," he said.

Between 50 and 100 oysters fit into the trays, Power said.

"We lend them out on the Island to fishermen and they take them back filled and we don't really keep track of how many each person takes," Power said.

Power said he thinks a lot of the trays are with fishermen who thought they might use the trays but didn't and maybe don't realize how valuable to the company theyare.

"I suspect there are a lot of them in people's backyards that aren't being used for the purpose they were intended," Power said.

He compared the trays to milk crates people often use to store things such as vinylrecords.

Those who have oyster trays can drop them off at the Raspberry Point Oyster Company plant in Cavendish or give the company a call.

"We'd love to get them all back," Power said.

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