Overview
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) relies on hunter and fisher reporting as a method to assess effort and harvest rates and set future seasons. To incentivize reporting, the Department provides promotions and increased opportunities for hunters and fishers who self-report their harvest in a timely manner.
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission (Commission) has the authority to set an administrative penalty for failure to comply with rules requiring hunters and fishers to report harvest or attempted harvest of fish and wildlife. The Commission has adopted rules requiring hunters and fishers who fail to complete their report to pay an administrative penalty of ten dollars before issuing a new hunting license or Puget Sound Dungeness crab catch record card. The total administrative penalty per hunter and fisher cannot exceed ten dollars (RCW 77.32.070).
Pursuant to RCW 77.32.070 (2)(b) and (3)(b), the Department is required to submit an annual report to the legislature for hunter and fisher compliance with the harvest reporting requirement and the administrative penalties collected. The hunter compliance requirement applies to deer, elk, bear, and turkey licenses as well as the migratory game bird licenses. The fisher compliance requirement is specific to Puget Sound Dungeness crab catch record cards.