See below for rules adopted in 2024 by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission or the Director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The public comment period has ended for all rules listed below.
See the Rule-making glossary for more information about the terms used here.
Permanent rules
The proposed rule will allow WDFW to cite individuals for creating roads, trails, and structures without approval. The rule will reduce the risk of these activities continuing to degrade sensitive natural and cultural resources on WDFW-managed lands.
The rule proposal allows the existing pilot Beaver Relocation Permit Program to continue and allows individuals to relocate wild American beaver that are in conflict with landowners as an additional alternative to lethal removal. The rule also establishes standards for humane treatment of temporarily captive beaver, selection of suitable release sites, and requirements for considering coexistence options before translocation.
The rule proposal raises the limit of maximum cash compensation that WDFW may pay to eligible farmers for a claim for commercial crop damage caused by deer and elk to $300,000 per fiscal year from the state general fund. The rule proposal also raises the maximum cash compensation WDFW may pay to eligible owners for a claim for commercial livestock or guard dog losses caused by cougar or wolves from $10,000 to $30,000 per claim. Further, the rule proposal specifies the method for prioritizing and paying damage claims.
The rule proposal closes trapping of all red fox within the exterior boundaries of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie, Okanogan, Wenatchee, and Gifford Pinchot National Forests. Closing trapping in these areas will prevent accidental take of the Cascade red fox where their habitat range may overlap with the general lowland species of red fox.
The rule proposal removes the daily limit of yellow perch from Fish Lake in Chelan County. The rule proposal also increases fishing opportunity on Park, Blue, and Deep Lakes in Grant County by extending the recreational fishing season by one month each year.
The rule proposal seeks to maintain a sustainable cougar hunting season. The rule proposal sets a “cap” on the number of cougars that may be harvested or otherwise taken per year per population management unit and sets the cougar hunting season to start on September 1 and end on March 31 each year. The rule proposal also eliminates the allowance for harvesting a second cougar within the same license year statewide.
This rule proposal makes several changes to the commercial whale watching license structure, including defining paddle tours, businesses, and guides, and separating the licensing of paddle tour businesses from commercial watching businesses (where they were previously lumped together).
The rule proposal regulates the 2024 recreational salmon fisheries statewide and is part of a comprehensive rulemaking package. Specific rule changes include setting dates, times, species, and daily limits for 2024 recreational salmon fisheries in saltwater and freshwater areas.
The rule proposal regulates the 2024 fall commercial salmon gillnet fisheries in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor and is part of a comprehensive rulemaking package. Specific rule changes include setting areas, dates, times, and minimum gillnet mesh size for 2024 coastal commercial salmon harvest.
The rule proposal regulates the 2024 commercial salmon purse seine, gillnet, reef net, and beach seine fisheries in Puget Sound and is part of a comprehensive rulemaking package. Specific rule changes include setting areas, dates, times, and minimum gillnet mesh size for 2024 Puget Sound commercial salmon harvest.
The rule proposal inserts new legal standards into the existing rule for the installation of flotation materials in overwater structures (e.g., docks and swim floats). The proposed rule includes more detailed standards for containing foam flotation and is intended to reduce the release of foam into freshwaters and marine areas that could cause environmental concerns.
For the 2024-2026 three-year hunting season setting, WDFW proposes rule changes for the following topics: Deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, equipment, waterfowl, trapping, small and upland game, landowner hunting permits and raffle hunts, and other related rule changes as needed. Rule proposals include providing additional hunting opportunity in certain areas, reducing opportunity in other areas, amending equipment requirements, administrative updates, and many other changes.
The rule proposal changes some recreational clam, mussel, and oyster harvest seasons. These changes are based on recent clam and oyster population survey data, recreational harvest projections, and negotiations affecting intertidal Treaty and non-Treaty fisheries, along with public health considerations. Seasons will be opened or extended on some public beaches and closed or shortened on others.
The rule proposal increases angler opportunity on Deer Lake in Stevens County by lengthening the recreational fishing season for all species from March 1 through November 30 each year to year-round. To maintain the quality of the fishery, a daily limit of five lake trout was added, and no more than one lake trout measuring longer than 26 inches may be retained.
This rule proposal repeals an existing rule and replaces it with a new rule to provide a process to issue permits to owners of commercial timber to lethally remove black bears to reduce damage. The rule proposal identifies how permits are applied for, applications are reviewed and issued or denied, conditioned, and administered. Under the proposed rule, a black bear timber damage permit would allow a permittee or their designated hunter to remove one or more black bears as conditioned on the removal permit. To minimize the potential of orphaning cubs, the proposed rule prohibits the harvest of bears with cubs.