Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Semi-annual Rule-making Agenda: January - June 2024
* Dates are tentative.
| WAC Chapter |
Rule Title or Subject | Agency Contact | Preproposal (CR-101) |
Proposed (CR-102) or Expedited (CR-105) |
Permanent (CR-103P) |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WACs 220-340-130 and 220-340-170 | 2024 Annual Oyster Drill | Katy Davis Katherine.davis@dfw.wa.gov |
12/6/23 | TBD | The department is considering updates to beach designations (Oyster Drill Restricted Areas) according to shellfish pest status. | |
| WACs 220-330-110 and 220-330-140 | 2024 Clam and Oyster Season | Camille Speck Camille.speck@dfw.wa.gov | 10/17/23 | 1/24/24 | 2/1/24 | The department is considering annual changes to rules for recreational clam, mussel, and oyster harvest seasons. |
| WAC chapter 330-352 | Quick Reporting Vessel Information | Kelly Henderson Kelly.henderson@dfw.wa.gov | 2/9/23 | TBD | The rule making project seeks to explore modification of the Quick Reporting rules to require additional information for Puget Sound Commercial and Coastal Troll salmon fisheries. | |
| WAC chapters 220-312 and 220-313 | 2024 North of Falcon Recreational Fisheries | Kelly Henderson Kelly.henderson@dfw.wa.gov | 1/17/24 | 5/1/24 | 6/1/24 | Amendments resulting from stakeholder recommendations made during the 2024 North of Falcon process. |
| WAC chapters 220-354 and 220-301 | 2024 North of Falcon Puget Sound Commercial Fisheries | Kelly Henderson Kelly.henderson@dfw.wa.gov | 1/17/24 | 5/1/24 | 6/1/24 | Amendments resulting from stakeholder recommendations made during the 2024 North of Falcon process. |
| WAC chapter 220-354 | 2024 North of Falcon Coastal Commercial Fisheries |
Kelly Henderson Kelly.henderson@dfw.wa.gov | 1/17/24 | 5/1/24 | 6/1/24 | Amendments resulting from stakeholder recommendations made during the 2024 North of Falcon process. |
| WAC 220-312-050 | Deer Lake Recreational Rules | Chris Donley Christopher.donley@dfw.wa.gov |
The Commission approved the rule petition on December 14, 2023 | 12/19/23 | 2/1/24 | This rule making project began as a petition from the public and seeks to increase recreational opportunity for fishing for trout in Deer Lake in Stevens County. |
| WAC chapter 220-410 |
Columbia River Commercial Logbooks | Bethany Deacy Bethany.deacy@dfw.wa.gov | 1/3/24 | 3/6/24 | 5/1/24 | This project seeks to collect data about fishing effort and catch and release information from the Columbia River commercial fisheries for management purposes. |
| WAC chapter 220-370 | Amend aquaculture regulations | Chris Eardley Christopher.eardley@dfw.wa.gov | 3/30/18 | TBD | This is an expedited rule making to amend regulations in WAC chapter 220-370 following passage of ESHB 2957 in the 2018 legislative session. | |
| WAC 220-353-080 | Testing commercial fishing gear | Thomas Knoll Thomas.knoll@dfw.wa.gov |
1/17/24 | TBD | The department seeks to clarify the requirements for notifying department law enforcement officers about testing commercial fishing gear. | |
| WAC chapter 220-450 | Beaver Relocation | Heather Bonagofski Heather.bonagofski@dfw.wa.gov |
3/12/19 | Spring 2024 | TBD | The department is developing a new permit for beaver relocation that is consistent with requirements of RCW 77.32.585. |
| WAC chapter 220-500 | Construction, Creation and maintenance of roads, trails, and structures | Heather Bonagofski Heather.bonagofski@dfw.wa.gov |
7/31/23 | 2/21/24 | TBD | The department is considering adding new sections to WAC chapter 220-500 to prevent further resource damage to department-managed lands. |
| WACs 220-340-430 and 220-330-020 |
3-year Season Setting | Heather Bonagofski Heather.bonagofski@dfw.wa.gov |
12/20/23 | 2/21/24 | TBD | For the upcoming 3-year season setting, the department is considering rule changes for the following hunting 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. |
| WAC 220-440-210 | Black Bear timber damage permits | Heather Bonagofski Heather.bonagofski@dfw.wa.gov |
2/28/19 | August 21, 2023 Continuance – September 13, 2023 |
TBD | This rule making seeks to establish a new rule that allows the department to issue permits to lethally remove black bears where the bears are damaging to commercial timber. |
| New WAC chapter 220-670 | Fishway and Screening rules | Gabrielle Stillwater Gabrielle.stilwater@dfw.wa.gov |
6/17/20 | July 17, 2023 Continuance – September 18, 2023 |
TBD | The department is creating a new chapter in WAC (220-670) that defines general passibility and protection standards for new and existing fishways and water diversions across the state. |
| WAC chapter 220-460 |
Implementation of ESSB 5371 - Commercial whale watching | Julie Watson Julie.watson@dfw.wa.gov |
7/31/23 | TBD | This is an expedited rule making that adopts changes to WAC chapter 220-460 following the passage of ESSB 5371 in the 2023 legislative session. | |
| WAC chapter 220-500 | Recreational easements on private lands | Shane Belson Shane.belson@dfw.wa.gov | 8/30/22 | TBD | The department seeks to amend terms used in WAC chapter 220-500 to improve clarity and consistency. | |
| WAC Title 220 | Amending and consolidating rules into one chapter under WAC Title 220 | Thomas Knoll Thomas.knoll@dfw.wa.gov | 1/23/19 | TBD | The department seeks to consolidate and clarify its administrative hearing rules into one chapter for all of WAC Title 220. | |
| WAC chapter 220-660 | Implementation of SHB 1085 - Flotation materials in overwater structures | Theresa Nation Theresa.Nation@dfw.wa.gov |
1/24/24 | 5/1/24 | This is an expedited rule making that adopts changes to WAC chapter 220-660 following the passage of SHB 1085 in the 2023 legislative session | |
| WACs 220-610-010 and 220-200-100 | Periodic Status Review for the Grey Wolf | Julia Smith Julia.smith@dfw.wa.gov |
10/1/18 | 2/7/24 | TBD | This is a periodic status review (PSR) for the grey wolf. |