Once again, fish camps along Oscarville Slough have been broken into and vandalized.
Sam Berlin left his fish camp Wednesday night. When he returned the next morning, the door had been kicked in and his belongings thrown across the floor. Checking with his neighbors, he found many of their camps had been ransacked as well.
“There’s about 10 houses in this slough, and every one has been broken-in,” Berlin said.
Berlin says his ax is gone, and a nearby camp is missing a computer and a backpack filled with clothes. Berlin suspects the other properties are missing items as well.
He’s reporting the burglary to the police. He says this isn’t the first time he’s returned to camp to find his door open and items stolen.
“It always happens every year ever since I was born, I think.”
Berlin has had lanterns, camp stoves, and other items taken.
“Tools, guns, my bow, arrows, radio. You name it, they’ve taken it and it is frustrating.”
And he doesn’t know what it’s going to take to stop them.
“Maybe booby traps,” he suggests.
The last raid happened this winter. Berlin says now that the days are getting shorter, the break-in season has begun.
“I’m usually here most of the time, on and off, you know. I’m going to probably start staying here again,” he said.
Berlin had returned to his fish camp to fix his smoke house for the silver salmon run. He says his missing ax won’t stop him.
