WDFW Commission Kills Spring Bear Hunt As It’s Known
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission this afternoon killed the state’s spring bear hunting season as we’ve known it, on the now usual 5-4 margin.
WDFW Coastal Steelhead Proviso Worries Discussed At Meeting
WDFW managers worked to allay concerns about their draft Coastal Steelhead Proviso Implementation Plan during a meeting this morning with members of a Fish and Wildlife Commission subcommittee.
Concerns Around WDFW’s Draft Coastal Steelhead Proviso Plan
It’s not the lightest reading of all time, but some anglers dogged enough to dive into WDFW’s draft Coastal Steelhead Proviso Implementation Plan are expressing concerns about it, particularly elements centered around hatchery production and sport and tribal fisheries.
NW Watersheds To Benefit From Infrastructure Law Dollars
Northwest watersheds and their finny denizens will get a boost from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law via a half-decade-long Forest Service-Trout Unlimited agreement announced today.
Bear Management A Hot Topic On West, East Coasts
It’s an active time for black bear policies on both sides of the United States. As Washington’s Fish and Wildlife Commission takes up the future of limited-entry spring hunts this Friday, the governor of New Jersey has lifted his suspension of the state’s late fall season, saying “the data demands that we act now to prevent tragic bear-human interactions.”
SW WA, Hanford Reach Fishing Report (11-15-22)
Mid-November 2022 Chinook and coho fishing reports for select Southwest Washington tributaries and the lower Hanford Reach.
DNR Won’t Renew Puget Sound Netpen Leases; Cooke Cries Foul
Washington’s Department of Natural Resources says it won’t renew the last two netpen leases for a firm raising sterile steelhead over state-owned aquatic lands.
Coho Saved From Illegal Gillnets Stretched Across Dosewallips R
A man has allegedly admitted to illegally gillnetting coho on the Dosewallips, on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula, and Washington game wardens say that potential criminal charges have been referred to Jefferson County prosecutors.
Areas 10, 11 Opening For Winter Crabbing
WDFW announces that Marine Areas 10 and 11 will open for winter crabbing starting November 15 and running through the end of the year.
Catch ‘Holiday Specials,’ Trout, At Select WA Lakes
WDFW is stocking thousands of trout averaging 15 to 16 inches at dozens of Washington lakes, mostly west of the Cascades, for post-Thanksgiving Day fishing and as an alternative to shopping madness.
Anglers, Guides, Tribes, WDFW Work To Restore Skykomish Chum Run
Skykomish River chum salmon have fallen on hard times, but a unique partnership of local anglers and guides, and state and tribal comanagers is working to restore returns of these famed fighters that are also important to the environment.
WA Coast Winter Steelhead Season Proposals Begin To Emerge
Washington steelhead managers laid out some initial proposals for the 2022-23 winter season on coastal rivers at a Zoom meeting this evening.
Coho Limit Boosted In Parts Of Chehalis Watershed, E Grays Harbor
With returns of Chehalis Basin coho expected to “meet or exceed management goals,” WDFW is boosting the adult limit from one to two (only one wild) in a number of area waters.
Feds Taking Up N Cascades Grizzly Restoration Again
National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service officials say they are launching another look at restoring and managing grizzlies in Washington’s North Cascades, including designating any population there as experimental.
Keeper Sturgeon Winter Season Set On 3 Columbia Gorge Pools
Columbia sturgeon managers have set seasons in the gorge, including Monday, Wednesday, Saturday keeper days on The Dalles and Bonneville Pools, plus Jan. 1, “to reduce season volatility and help anglers plan fishing trips by extending seasons later into the year.”
ODFW Opening CWD Check Station For First Coast Bull Opener
ODFW will host a check station to sample elk for chronic wasting disease on this Saturday’s Coast elk first season opener at the junction of Highway 20 and County Road 180 across from the Blodgett Country Store.