August 7, 2015 meeting agenda

Fish and Wildlife Commission

Meeting Minutes & Agendas

Meeting Agenda
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FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION MEETING
August 7-8, 2015

Natural Resources Building
1111 Washington St SE
Olympia WA 98501
First Floor, Room 172

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7-8, 2015

8:00 AM 1. Call to Order
  1. Commissioners' Discussion
  2. Meeting Minute Approval
8:15 AM 2. Open Public Input
The Commission is a direct link between the citizens of Washington and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Comments on Department programs and topics of concern are welcome during this portion of the meeting. 

NOTE: During this portion of the meeting, the public is encouraged to comment on issues that do not already have public input time on the agenda.

8:45 AM 3. Director's Report
The Director will brief the Commission on various items including:
Agency outreach and discussion of future funding.

- Summary (PDF) - PDF Format (141 Kb)

9:00 AM 4. Statewide Steelhead Management - Briefing
Department staff will provide the Commission a briefing on the implementation of the Statewide Steelhead Management Plan including several current initiatives. These initiatives include establishing wild steelhead gene banks in the Puget Sound region and an advisory group process to review the management of north coast rivers. 

- Summary (PDF) - PDF Format (447 Kb)
- Presentation (PDF) - PDF Format (2 Mb)

Staff Report: Jim Scott, Special Assistant; Annette Hoffmann, Region 4 Fish Program Manager; Steve Thiesfeld, Region 6 Fish Program Manager

9:45 AM Break
10:00 AM 5. Commission Overview of Steelhead At-Risk Report - Briefing
Department staff will provide an overview of the Steelhead At-Risk Report including which populations are most at risk, summary and regional threats, and key management strategies and actions to address those threats. The Steelhead At-Risk Report is a requirement of the Statewide Steelhead Management Plan.

- Summary (PDF) - PDF Format (74 Kb)
- Presentation (PDF) ( - PDF Format (2 Mb)

Staff Report:  Erik Neatherlin, Fish Science Manager

10:30 AM 6. Salish Sea Program Review of Marine Survival of Salmon - Briefing
Department staff and research partners will provide the Commission with a briefing on the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project.  The Marine Survival Project is an international, collaborative research project investigating the causes of poor early marine survival for juvenile salmon and steelhead as they migrate through the Salish Sea.  The briefing will review the project, key issues, and summarize findings to date.

- Summary (PDF) - PDF Format (19 Kb)
- Presentation (PDF) - PDF Format ( 7 Mb)

Staff Report: Erik Neatherlin, Fish Science Manager,
Presenters:  Michael Schmidt, Program Director, Long Live the Kings, Barry Berejikian, Research Scientist & Behavioral Ecology Team Leader, NOAA Fisheries, Paul Hershberger, Research Scientist & Field Station Leader, USGS and Ken Warheit, Genetics Lab Director, Fish Program, WDFW

11:30 AM 7. Hatchery Reform Implementation - Briefing
Department staff will provide the Commission with a briefing as stipulated per Policy C-3619 on the progress of implementing statewide hatchery reform in compliance with standards set by the Hatchery Scientific Review Group to further the recovery of wild salmon and steelhead populations while continuing to support sustainable fisheries.

- Summary (PDF) - PDF Format (46 Kb)
- Presentation (PDF) - PDF Format (2 Mb)

Staff Report: Kelly Cunningham, Deputy Assistant Director and Brian Missildine, Natural Resource Scientist

12:00 AM Lunch
1:00 PM 8. Coastal Pelagic Commercial Fisheries - Briefing
Department staff will brief the Commission on the status of current populations and fisheries for Coastal Pelagic Species (i.e., sardines, anchovy, mackerel, and squid) and proposals for additional fisheries.

- Summary (PDF) - PDF Format (80 Kb)
- Presentation (PDF) - PDF Format (910 Kb)

Staff Report: Michele Culver, Regional Director and Lorna Wargo, Coastal Pelagic Fisheries Manager

1:45 PM 9. Land Transaction - Briefing, Public Hearing and Decision - This item has been removed from the agenda

The Commission will consider approval of a land transaction recommended by the Department for the protection of critical fish and wildlife habitat, enhancement of public recreation opportunities.

Staff Report: Julie Sandberg, Real Estate Section Manager, Wildlife Program

2:00 PM 10. Spotted Owl and Marbled Murrelet Update - Briefing - This item postponed until a later date
Department staff will provide a briefing on the status of the Spotted Owl and the Marbled Murrelet.

- Summary (PDF) - PDF Format (23 Kb)
- Presentation (PDF) - PDF Format (6 Mb)

Staff Report:  Penny Becker, Ph.D., Acting Diversity Division Manager; Joe Buchanan, Natural Resource Scientist; and Steve Desimone, Wildlife Biologist

3:00 PM Break
3:15 PM 11. 2016 Supplemental Operating Budget Request - Briefing
Department staff will brief the Commission and answer questions about the agency's operating budget proposals.

- Summary (PDF) - PDF Format (74 Kb)
- Request (PDF) - PDF Format (144 Kb)
- Budget Table (PDF) - PDF Format (116 Kb)
- Presentation (PDF) - PDF Format (178 Kb)

Staff Report: Owen Rowe, Budget Officer, Technology and Financial Management

3:45 PM 12. Capital Budget Request - Briefing
Department staff will provide an informational briefing and answer questions about the agency's Capital Budget.

- Summary (PDF) - PDF Format (69 Kb)
- Presentation (PDF) - PDF Format (446 Kb)

Staff Report: Tim Burns, Assistant Director, Capital and Asset Management Program

4:00 PM 13. 2016 Legislative Proposals - Briefing
Department Staff will brief the Commission and answer questions about the agency's 2016 legislative proposals.

- Summary (PDF) - PDF Format (188 Kb)
- Presentation (PDF) - PDF Format (409 Kb)

Staff Report: Ann Larson, Legislative Liaison

4:30 PM Recess

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

8:30 AM 14. Open Public Input
The Commission is a direct link between the citizens of Washington and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Comments on Department programs and topics of concern are welcome during this portion of the meeting. 

NOTE: During this portion of the meeting, the public is encouraged to comment on issues that do not already have public input time on the agenda.

9:00 AM 15. Migratory Waterfowl Seasons - Briefing, Public Hearing and Decision
Department staff will brief the Commission on Migratory Waterfowl Seasons and Regulations and take public comments on the proposed changes.

- Summary (PDF) - PDF Format (150 Kb)
- Presentation (PDF) - PDF Format (6 Mb)

Staff Report: Don Kraege, Waterfowl Section Manager, Wildlife Program

PUBLIC INPUT (This item only)

9:45 AM 16. Miscellaneous and Meeting Debrief
The Commission will discuss items that arise immediately before or during the meeting and after the preliminary agenda is published.
10:00 AM Adjourn


Contact the Fish and Wildlife Commission Office for further information:
Phone 360-902-2267
Email: commission@dfw.wa.gov

Persons with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations to participate in the public meeting are invited to contact Dolores Noyes by phone (360-902-2349), TTY (360-902-2207), or email (dolores.noyes@dfw.wa.govl). Reasonable accommodation requests should be received at least three (3) business days prior to the meeting to ensure availability. Please provide two (2) weeks' notice for requests for ASL/ESL interpretation services. For more information, see the requests for accommodation page.