These are pink salmon and there were about
1000 of them, females are cut open for their roe
and males are completely wasted. They are netted
in the small creek.
Misha the young ranger looking at the mess.
Misha radioing for the helicopter.
(Click on any Image to see a higher resolution version)
A while ago, I was flying after supper taking advantage of a very calm and clear evening after being ground tied through a long storm. I couldn't resist the urge to explore a bit. Far down on the tundra near the ocean, where there isn't a tree for miles, I came upon two caviare poachers who were probably wishing that they had somewhere to hide. They had come there in an old 4X4 Russian truck along the only rut track which winds through the tundra and also takes advantage of the beach wherever possible. This "road" used to be used to supply the lighthouse at Lopatka point but now is kept open only because the Russian border guard say they need it to patrol their west coast.
One short loop around the hill told me that they had come from the direction of the lighthouse. Judging from the piles of salmon cut open and heaped around the vehicle they had been there a few days. When I saw the two people weren't waving a gun at me I tried to take a digital photo of them but I had somehow picked up the photo chip that was in the camera that went into the lake earlier this spring. (See June 10th).
I went back to our cabin and filled my tank with gas, discussed with Maureen about what we should do. We decided that the rangers should know about it so I flew to Kurilskoy Lake where a ranger is stationed. (There has not been one in the cabin at the mouth of Kambalnoe River yet this year.) It was getting late but I found Misha the ranger in the middle of the lake in a boat with Bill Leacock who has been doing bear research there. They were with a couple from CNN who were filming a documentary on conservation in Kamchatka. I didn't have time to chat to them about poaching while it was happening.
It was going to be dark soon so I explained the situation to Misha and ask if he wanted me to fly him to the culprits. He hum and hawed for a while, asking questions like "did you see tracks?". "Misha", I said "I saw a hell of a lot more than that, lets go have a look quickly or they will be gone". There were a whole gamut of things that scared the hell out of him. One, to say the least, was getting into my plane. When he knew he had stalled long enough that we could not get to the poachers before dark and back to the lower Kambalnoye cabin for the night, he eventually agreed to come but only as far as the lower cabin. At the Kurilskoy rangers cabin there was a helicopter which should have taken over from me. The pilot finally said he would fly the next day to pick Misha up at the cabin and take him to arrest the poachers. It was a good solution even though we all knew they would be long gone by then-it was pretty obvious who these people were anyway. It was 10:30 p.m. by the time we flew over the pass on the eastern shoulder of Kambalnoe Volcano and out onto the tundra flats towards the rangers cabin. The poachers were about 5 miles further south along the beach and up a small creek.
Flying to the ranger's cabin was one of the most beautiful sight I have ever seen while piloting here or anywhere else. It was a cool evening and there was stringers of mist coming off every tiny or large piece of water like they were boiling. The river meanders through the tundra there, cut down about 20 to 40 feet with smoothly sculptured banks. The sun had set but the strong back light was fired by the remnant of a wonderful sunset. There were bears everywhere because of all the salmon that were coming into the river 500 meters to the west of the cabin. The piece of river by the cabin is lined up with the light so it was beautifully bright with mist and surreal bears who parted both left and right as I settled among them.
Poor Misha didn't know what to do when I urged him out into the river with his big gun. I untied his pack which I had secured to the side of the Kolb with some difficulty because of its weight. I wanted to get home before it was absolutely dark. He looked quite afraid, probably a combination of seeing so many bears and the thought that he might actually see a poacher. There wasn't much chance of him seeing anyone but he didn't know that. These guys are young and totally green when it comes to law enforcement. I guess you can't expect much when they are only paid $25.00 US a month. I was proud of him for coming at all.
The next morning, I few high over the spot of the crime and when I confirmed they were gone I landed on the wet grass to make sure that I could repeat the process with a passenger and then went to get Misha at the mouth of the river. I showed him everything including the vehicle tracks that disappeared into the fog about 3 miles out on the point. He was happy because he got to look at all the evidence, take pictures, everything without having to see an actual poacher. I am not to worried. Something will eventually be said to these guys. Everyone knows they are working at the lighthouse. They just have to be reminded that this is a sanctuary.
One of the things that made Misha's pack so heavy the night before was a radio which he had used to contact with headquarters that morning. They had told him that someone would come and get him with a chopper that afternoon so I dropped him off once more and told him I would check later to see if they had actually done what his superiors told him they would do. I had a strong suspicion that no one would get around to it that afternoon or any other. That was three days ago. It stormed yesterday and today and we were sure that we would have heard a chopper if it had come for him so I'm sure he is still there. Once the storm has passed, I will take him back over the mountain.
The whole exercise for me is to try and let everyone know at the south end of this peninsula, someone is watching. I am not too concerned with a few locals trying to make a bit on the side - God knows they all need it but I would like them to get into the habit of going outside of this preserve to do their dirty deeds. It's even legal out there on certain rivers this year because of the numbers of pink salmon. It worries me that they might turn to bears next if they get in the habit of disregarding the status of the place. It is important for our bears safety in the future.
-Charlie