NEWPORT, Ore. — Two men caught setting stolen crab traps in Cape Falcon Marine Reserve of the North Oregon coast await trial following a joint effort of citizen reporting and solid detective work.
Bob Browning has fished Oregon waters all his life. He started fishing off the Garibaldi dock with his family when he was five years old. When he saw a strange object bobbing on the ocean surface, he pointed it out to his client, Dr. Sarah Henkel. Henkel, a researcher with the Oregon State University Marine Program, was collecting data for her latest project: The feeding ecology of Dungeness crab in a reef area. She had hired Browning and The Lady Lee on April 3, 2019 to take her out to the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve for the research project.
Henkel squinted to get a better look. It wasn’t a bird. Even through binoculars, neither the researcher nor the boat captain could identify the small black thing bobbing on the water’s surface. It definitely didn’t look like the bright orange and white surface buoys that marked her research beacons. Browning steered The Lady Lee in for a closer look.
Browning reached down and pulled at the object. It was a black bait bag, about the size of his fist. Inside were two pieces of foam to keep it afloat. But when he tried to pick it up, there was resistance. And a long cord. Browning threaded the rope through his hydraulic lift and started the motor. When a crab pot broke the surface of the water, they knew there was trouble. The line continued. Another crab pot rose from the depths. They reached for their phones to report it.
The Investigation
Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Sergeant Todd Thompson was on shift that day and took
