Our Mission
To preserve, protect and perpetuate fish, wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.




Nothing like failing at your own mission statement!!!!!!!
Congrats????

Just to play Devil's Advocate, there is nothing in that Mission Statement that says opportunities must be consumptive. Guiding is commercial, Charters are commercial. I know people assume that opportunity means dead fish and game but there are alternative definitions.

Which also is not to claim that WDFW is not failing on a grand scale.

The words that catch my eye are "sustainable" and "opportunities."

The words that catch my eyes are "preserve, protect and perpetuate".

Sustainable and opportunities still have nothing to do with killing fish and game.

Why are you hung up on killing?
Because you allowed them to be.
That's why.
Year after year.

WDFW is just another department controlled by the left wing democrats who don’t give a plug nickel about fishing, hunting, etc. it’s all about being politically correct and if a bully comes along (WFC) threatens to sue they swallow it and cave in. Take control back to a citizen group and not the lousy governor and we might have a chance. But I guess we would rather fight amongst ourselves.

"Take control back" how? The Governor appoints the Commission, as it has always been. You want direct election of Commissioners? That would go well for the sportsman, I'm sure.

The Agency has a responsibility (often ignored) to ALL fish and wildlife resources in the state. Unfortunately, the cost of funding that mission is borne by the consumptive users but that doesn't change the responsibility.

I do agree that WDFW needs a major overhaul in governance and in funding. But since I do share their overall mission to manage all animal resources I suspect that meeting that mission would be unpopular in many places.

Perhaps instead of direct election of Commissions, have them appointed by the Commissioner of Public Lands, with WDFW placed into WADNR. You could vote for the Commissioner then.

But they don't manage "all animals". This is obvious as one particular user group gets to do whatever they want and the dept. is powerless to stop it. If any one of us did what has been done and continues to be done without fear of repercussion, we'd all be in jail for years to come. I have pics that would make you cry for the animal resource that is supposedly being "managed". None of this should be shocking to anyone that posts here.

Think hunters and fishers are upset now? Imagine if the Department stopped being the Department of Hunting and Fishing, and actually became the Department of Fish & Wildlife?

Any fishing for salmon and steelhead at all would end that day.

Fishermen and hunters are a very small minority, and don't wield schit for political power, at least not in any way, shape, or form like they think they do.

You really want the other 95% of the citizenry electing people to determine your hunting and fishing?

No, you don't.

Fish on...

Todd

I think that putting F&W under DNR and an elected commissioner is worth looking into, and discussing.

Bunch of college educated book smarts running this state.
We have long ago quit on the people that actually partake in the experience outdoors.

What's the playbook say now WDFW???????
What it ought to say is you're fired!!!!!!!!
Instead it says stay at home, the checks in the mail, and the union has your backs.

Pathetic, everyone deserves a trophy, bullchit!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure you're not intending to alienate folks like me that have been fishing in this state a long time, about 45 years in my case, that also have graduated from college. It's easy to generalize, so I will too. I don't really think it's the colleges today as much as it is in elementary schools where kids are brainwashed into thinking competition is bad and that everyone should get a trophy. The generations raised under those circumstances are largely in positions of power these days, unfortunately. But somehow these "leaders" always seem to be first in line at the feed trough....

Absolutely not sounds like you are experience qualified..

IMHO WDFW has been hiring based on "education" wherever the hell that took place(back east) and not on local knowledge of the actual situations and/or Washington based experience.

It's a joke.

I could hire the most degree qualified person on the candidates list and they wouldn't know jackchit about the present day problems because they are trained off ancient data.

Hiring some carpet muncher from Maine to deal with a fluid situation just won't work in the headwaters of WA.

That being said there are zero consequences or accountability at WDFW as long as you don't rape an intern so why even try.

My experience with government workers in the environmental fields is that most want to save the planet. Those with ambition and real world understanding end up heading to the private sector, which rewards those traits.

So often its.... "Why can't I fill in wetlands", its my land, versus, "everyone should bike to work and live in an apartment". What usually saves the process is strong, clear, and competent rules about how to proceed and proper administration. Anytime there is a major problem, it usually falls into problems with the rules or administration. So, in the end, blaming the department will probably never work. Change will have to come from those that can change and enforce the rules the department must abide by.

I had a problem one time with the way fees were calculated with our sewer department. Of course, I wanted the least possible and the department wanted the most they could get. The department had their agenda and reasons not too change (litterally hundreds of Thousands or even millions of revenue and much more work) but the process was still wrong. I found a council member who listened to me and then called in someone from the department. It was almost comical to watch as she asked why they were doing what they did. They cited the code and she looked at them and said, "But its unfair and wrong, right?". Suggest a revised rule in month as I am going to get this changed with your help or not." The change was made and I doubt anyone could imagine that the old way was actually used.

Until we get a legislature or governor who can stand up to the department, nothing will change.

+1 to what WDFW just said.

I cringe at the "qualifications" of their upper management, compared to say...oh....any of our PhD students.

Yeah, it's a joke.

And.....

Most of their management don't even fish, hunt, or give two sharts about an outdoor experience, let alone actually knows what's going on in reality.

I'm not pointing fingers at the boots on the ground (scientists). It's their bosses...the one's who supposedly take their work and make decisions.

It used to be that most of the WDG/WDF staff hunted or fished. Especially the bio side of things. Plus, many/most were from WA, grew up here, and were familiar with the issues.

There seems a real disconnect now in that much fewer, especially higher up, partake of the resources. I think it is important because "you" are writing the rules and you better be able to understand and justify them.

While I can't confirm, because I was told this second hand, there are professors (in WA) who recommend that their students not work for WDFW. So, you go out of state to get folks.

In WDG, not only did a lot of staff hunt and fish but Opening Day (fishing/hunting) required participation by most of the staff in monitoring. Checking lakes for catch, being at check stations to evaluate kills, and so on. Hunting and fishing were important enough to the Agency that the whole damn staff got involved. And, incidentally, had to talk one to one with the users.

Now???

"Change will have to come from those that can change and enforce the rules the department must abide by."

So wouldn't you think that "the department" would have the most influence over enacting competent rule change????? Or is the department just there for enforcement???? Or is enforcement just there to make TV shows????

If what your saying is true then the mission statement is an out and out lie.



BLAST FROM THE PAST......
I used to spend my winters duck hunting some great ground that only 3 of us hunted. I was young, built blinds, and listened to the 2 older guys that were my mentors. We killed a ton of ducks. One was an original Director and one an assistant director of "the department".

Back then hiring was experienced based and the state flourished with opportunity from north to south and east to west.

It has been a slow gradual process that has slowly allowed experience to be replaced with formal education. Over time the decay has been slow.

Don't kid yourself for one minute, the people who have gradually mishandled the state's resources have had their heads planted squarely up their a$$. The saddest part is the previous administrations have had to draw up handbooks explaining where the new administrations could find their own a$$.

It then took the feds to gently slide the heads in.

So true Carcassman.
Great post.

I have been in Idaho for over a decade now, and the guys that creel check fish and hunt, the bio's fish and hunt, I see both wardens in my area fishing steelhead and plunking for Springers, the judge fishes ALOT, most everybody in IDFG participates. They all Elk and deer hunt. Everybody has a vested interest in the outdoors because it's a way of life here, in Wa, outdoor experiences rank really low for the majority of people....

Agree and sympathize with WDFW and/or Barbarosa