Poaching problem costs crabbers their catch

COOS BAY, Ore. (AP) — Crabbers on Oregon's South Coast say it's hard to prove in court, but poaching among their ranks is a perennial problem that costs them each thousands of dollars a year.

They say rogue crabbers wait for dark to haul up other crabbers' baited pots. Sometimes, the owners can tell when their pots have been tampered with. Fishermen have distinctive ways of arranging the details of their gear.

But absent the testimony of a conspirator, there's little for authorities to follow up on when pots come up empty, The World newspaper reported.

"We get complaints of crab theft every year," said Sgt. Todd Thompson of the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division. "It is difficult to get a case out without a witness. You don't have a lot of evidence to go on."

Jeff Reeves, a Charleston-based fisherman, calls it "some of the worst theft that can happen. You go out and risk your life setting your pots, invest in bait and your crew invests in time. (Then) we go out and someone else has taken your product."

Even when a witness comes forward, demonstrating the value of the stolen crab is a problem, said Coos County Deputy District Attorney Sarah Lundstedt.

"You'd need to go and say, 'This is how much the crab weighed' and how much you could sell it for. And no one knows how many crab are in a pot until you pull it up," Lundstedt said.

Some crabbers have tried reward funds. One on the South Coast gathered $6,000, and several deckhands accused their captains of theft. But no charges were filed, and the lack of action led to more theft, Reeves said.

Now, a Newport-based fisherman group, the Oregon Crabbers Protective Association, is expanding its operations. It offers $5,000 rewards to deckhands who turn in their skippers, if the tip leads to a conviction.

Mike Pettis, secretary-treasurer of the group, said the reward fund has led to three convictions and has tamped down the level of crab pot piracy.

The association recently opened its doors to fishermen in other Oregon ports. Thirty-seven Charleston fishermen have joined so far. Reeves said he hopes the connection to a larger organization and fund will be more successful.

"If it is doing what it is supposed to be doing, then it is never used," said Nick Furman, the executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission. "The word gets out that boats are protected and people think twice. You never know when a crewman is going to get upset or you are going to have a parting of ways. Knowing the fund is there will eliminate the need for it."

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Information from: The World