FORT MYERS, Fla. — A man is accused of walking into Bass Pro Shops in south Fort Myers, grabbing a net, and stealing a live tarpon from the fish tank.

Deputies say a man took a fishing net from the store and headed to the large fish tank accompanied by two others wearing a Go Pro Camera.

The man scooped up the 50-pound silver king tarpon and ran out of the store.

“Somebody came up to me holding a scale of a tarpon and said, ‘Look, somebody just stole a tarpon’,” Chance Floyd, a Bass Pro employee, said.

According to Florida Wildlife Conservation, tarpons are protected in the State of Florida.

“I couldn’t believe it, honestly, like I don’t understand why they’d do that, and it was just so shocking to me that somebody would stoop low enough to do that,” Floyd said.

Anyone possessing a tarpon fish without proper certification is strictly prohibited.

LSCO said, “Lee County Animal Cruelty Task Force is investigating to ensure the safety of the fish.”

Bass Pro Shops said they are in contact with their corporate office to provide additional details on the stolen tarpon.

“They can’t really last long because once they get to a certain size, they’re not supposed to take them out of the water,” Floyd said. “So he obviously took it out of the water forcefully and then walked all the way out of the store.”

Get More from ABC7 as the latest details are released.