North of Falcon- Recreational Fishing

The North of Falcon process typically begins in January and consists of government-to-government meetings involving the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), treaty tribes, and WDFW representatives. Separate meetings are held with
stakeholders—both at a statewide and regional level—to review preseason run size forecasts, NMFS guidance relative to
allowable impacts for species listed under the Endangered Species Act, which includes salmon, but other protected species as well, such as Southern Resident Killer Whales.

Stakeholder meetings specific to the Puget Sound fisheries were held in February, March, and early April, and the public
hearing on the proposed rules was held on June 22, 2022. The comprehensive North of Falcon meeting schedule and the
meeting agendas, handouts, and audio recordings of the public meetings are available on WDFW’s website at:
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/management/north-falcon/public-meetings

While these rules regulate only recreational fisheries, the seasons specified in these proposed rules are structured in a
coordinated manner intended to provide commercial and recreational fishing opportunities while ensuring conservation
requirements and management objectives in federal and state laws and regulations, state/tribal harvest management
agreements, and Fish and Wildlife Commission policies are met.

Even though drafted as amendments to preceding rules, these new amendments function as a coordinated and unitary
fishery package for the 2022-2023 fishery season, and thus substantively replace prior years’ recreational salmon fisheries. Specifically, these rules replace and supersede the language in these WACs in their entirety.