Oregon Wildlife Officials Hunt Poachers Who Vandalized Cameras and Stole Salmon From Jackson County Hatchery
JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division (OSPFWD) is looking for two people of interest in the vandalism of a cellular trail camera and theft of salmon from a fish trap at the Cole Rivers Fish Hatchery in Trail, Oregon.
OSP Wants You To Identify These Jackson County Salmon Thieves
Two people, accompanied by a black German Shepherd dog, were first spotted by a trail camera at the Trail Cole Rivers Fish hatchery on August 12 last year, and came back about two weeks later wearing motorcycle helmets, on August 27, 2024. Trail camera photos showed one of them on a red Harley-Davidson or similar motorbike and the second on a black sport bike.
They entered the stream around the fish trap at about 8 p.m. in August 2024 and tried to spear or gaff salmon.
Then on July 5 this year, at approximately 5 a.m., two masked individuals, who match the description and build of the two from last year, were captured on a trail camera approaching the outflow fish trap wearing masks and baggy clothing, and were again accompanied by a black German Shepherd.
One of them waded across the river and ripped the antenna off the cellular camera. At the same time, the second person stayed on shore- holding what looks like a large salmon net. The next day, responding fish and wildlife troopers found the broken antenna with the trail camera pushed to the side.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) personnel later found the lock to the fish trap had been cut to gain access to the fish inside the trap. An unspecified number of salmon were netted from the fish trap.
If you have any information about the pair on motorbikes with a black German Shepherd dog:
- Call the Turn In Poachers (TIP) line at 1-800-452-7888,
- Call *OSP (*677) from a mobile phone,
- Email [email protected]. (monitored Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
- Please reference case number #SP25-355670.
Rewards For Turning In Information On Salmon Thieves
There are rewards offered for reporting wildlife and habitat law violators. For providing information on the two salmon poachers described above, these are the potential rewards:
- The Turn In Poachers (TIP) program: Cash rewards could be paid for information that results in an arrest or the issuance of a citation for the unlawful take/possession or waste of the following fish and wildlife species.
- Cash rewards can also be awarded for habitat destruction, spotlighting, or snagging.
For more information, visit: www.oregon.gov/osp/programs/fw/Pages/tip.aspx