Commission to consider new hunting and fishing license at Winthrop meeting

OLYMPIA – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is scheduled to take action on a new combination fishing and hunting license at its September meeting.

The commission, a citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), will meet Sept. 13-14 in Room Pasayten B at Sun Mountain Lodge, 604 Patterson Lake Road, Winthrop. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. both days. 

A full agenda is available online at https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/commission/meetings. The Sept. 13 meeting will be livestreamed on WDFW’s website at https://player.invintus.com/?clientID=2836755451&eventID=2019091003 and the Sept. 14 meeting will be available at https://player.invintus.com/?clientID=2836755451&eventID=2019091004. 

Using statutory authority to create license packages, WDFW is proposing to create a new Get Outdoors license for state residents. The license would include:  

• An annual combination recreational freshwater, saltwater, and shellfish license;
• Two-pole endorsement (allowing anglers to fish with two poles in allowed areas);
• Puget Sound crab endorsement;
• Annual combination hunting license for deer, elk, bear, and cougar;
• Bear and cougar transport tags;
• Small game license;
• Migratory bird permit and migratory bird authorization; and
• Two turkey tags. 

If approved, the new license would cost $235.18 including fees, and would be available for purchase beginning Dec. 1 for the 2020 license year, which runs April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021. 

Department staff will also brief the commission on proposed regulations for aquatic invasive species. One proposal would reclassify northern pike – a highly invasive predator found in the Box Canyon Reservoir on the Pend Oreille River and Lake Roosevelt in northeastern Washington – as a Level 1 invasive species. The new classification will facilitate rapid response and emergency action by WDFW and partners if the species spreads downstream into the Columbia River. 

The commission will also hear a briefing on the state’s policy on hunting for ducks on “corn ponds” or flooding standing crops and will receive an update on the department’s timeline for evaluating the state’s hatchery and fishery reform policy. The policy is intended to improve hatchery effectiveness, ensure compatibility between hatchery production and salmon recovery plans, and support sustainable fisheries.

WDFW is the state agency tasked with preserving, protecting and perpetuating fish, wildlife and ecosystems, while providing sustainable fishing and hunting opportunities.