Some 85 koi were stolen from a decorative pond outside a Yucaipa restaurant, authorities said, as two masked men were caught on a surveillance video hauling buckets of them away.

Investigators later serving a search warrant on a home said they noticed a large water tank.

But by then, few were recovered.

Photos shared by Oak House Restaurant on social media show the pair with their faces covered and the buckets in hand during the early-morning hours of June 21.

Though the motive remains under investigation, koi are highly valued for their size and vibrant coloration, and can sell for anywhere from $50 to $1,500 each, depending on their lineage, San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Gloria Orejel said.

Deputies used surveillance footage and vehicle tracking to locate one of the suspects. When investigators served a search warrant at his residence, they said, they discovered a large water tank believed to have held the stolen fish. But only five were retrieved, and one did not survive, according to restaurant owner Sylvia Duarte.

Animals are a defining characteristic of the restaurant’s outdoor space, where the Duarte family keeps goats, birds, turkeys and bunnies brought over from its farm. The Duarte family has owned Oak House for 30 years and kept koi in the front pond for more than 25 of them.

“It’s really sad,” Duarte said. “The koi are one of the most important to me.”

One suspect is now under arrest, and authorities are still searching for the second, the Sheriff’s Department said.

As of Thursday afternoon, the whereabouts of the remaining 80 fish were also unknown. Duarte said she is hopeful that as word spreads, anyone who may have unknowingly purchased one of the stolen koi will come forward and return it.