Federal officials are investigating after someone found hundreds of pounds of Dungeness crab dumped in a farmer's field in B.C. last month.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada said several piles of crab were found in the Maple Ridge area on July 29 after its officers received a complaint. In all, about 1,500 pounds of crustaceans had been ditched onto the grass.

A statement said the crab had likely been there for four or five days, based on the time a complaint was filed and the stench leeching from the heap.

"Crabs deteriorate quickly and begin to smell in a very short amount of time," the statement read.

The crab had been left in several piles of between 400 and 600 pounds each.

It is illegal under the Fisheries Act to waste any fish that is suitable for humans to consume. Fisheries officers are asking anyone with information about the incident to call its 24-hour tip line at 1-800-465-4336.