The governor appoints the commissioners, giving him indirect control over WDFW. My guess is that the gov has enough on his plate with taxes and his climate stuff that he tells WDFW to "play nice with the tribes." Meaning he doesn't want tribal issues showing up on his desk. They donate campaign money, after all. So WDFW caves to whatever tribes want.

Otherwise it would make sense on a number of issues to return to the days of the Fisheries Advisory Board (FAB), which was the court-appointed master to adjudicate most state-tribal fishing disputes. The FAB master would rule based on the case law of US v WA.

New taxes and climate stuff bs. Lol. Theres more important issues for that guy to worry about in this state. Got to pay the way for illegal immigrants and homeless drug addicts. If you guys even want a glimmer of hope, quit voting in these incapable asshats. Wa state deserves a better governor than jaydolf or turd Ferguson that want to buy your vote with $100 canned tuna checks. After salmo's last statement, it should be clear where our problem lies within the state. For fishing, for everything. Hopefully we can change that next year. If memory serves correct, Wa state has not had a republican governor since the 80s, and anything is better than what we have had. Ive been ready for a change,preferably some body with some backbone that cares about the future of this state and great nation.

Oh so very true.

We need big changes, I agree, especially on the Commission. What seemed like a good idea when Fisheries and Wildlife were combined, hasn't worked out that well, has it?

Agree, structural changes are needed, if the system that we fund is going to start working for us (rec fisherfolk) again. One thing's for sure, the state govt certainly won't modify things on our behalf without some input. Some heavy lifting, media activation, and a little funding are needed. All that cooperative work is contrary to most rec fishermen's modus operandi. We need a channel to funnel a single voice, set aside some differences, and get TF to work.
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The joining of the two agencies sounded good but ended just terrible or as a former WDG employee said when WDF ate the WDG. The placing of the Hatchery Division under the control of the harvest managers was just as bad or worse. The Commission is a mixed bag but it is flawed. The commissioner's get most of the information from the agency staff which is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. To make it even worse the Commission has no real authority other than the Director which by it's nature is in the political world.

I would think that the only hope for agency with a Commission is to make the Commissioners elected. 4 must reside Eastside and are voted on by them only, 4 westside with the same electorate, and a Chair. The Chair is Statewide voters. Having them all directly answerable to the voters might help. But, given that consumptive users are well in the minority there may be no way to get an agency that is apolitical and manages with the needs of the resource and users in mind.

I absolutely agree with C-Man. The commissioners need to be elected. Citizens's initiative? I love the idea, but who will do the work? I worked really hard on the Net Ban initiative after I retired. It made so much sense, and we got okay support , but not enough cash. I remember the Cattlemen's Association saying "We'll give you money next time". How would we get the word out about the initiative? Who would support us financially? I've said it many, many times that if each of us would contribute just the cost of a decent breakfast at a good restaurant, we would have at least three million dollars to politic with, and we could get ANYTHING we want with that amount of funding. But fishermen will bitch, but not contribute.

Tug, the problem with electing the Commission (even though I think it is much better than the current) is that the anti-consumptive use, especially hunting, would vote in the elections, too. It would offer a way to really shut down NI hunting. Even electing east/west commissioners, the tie-breaker would then hold tons of power and would have been elected statewide.

Maybe it's time to split up the departments? Fishing doesn't have the social issues that hunting has. Go back to a Game Commission, similar to what it once was, minus fish. Would the property stay with the game side? Would property go to DNR? or Parks? Interesting to think about. Back in the 90's I thought that combining the departments was really great because we could put steelhead into some of the salmon hatcheries that were bigger. What happened? Way back then old Game planted steelhead in every puddle or creek, it seemed, and there were steelhead everywhere. Tokul Creek had elbow to elbow crowds. I caught fish in the Tolt. When I moved to Kelso, I was in steelhead heaven. The Coweeman was a sleeper because of a holding pond. So was Grays River with another holding pond. Good by good ol' days.

Merger messed up a lot of things but so did ESA and continued population growth. A problem with splitting the agency would be habitat. Right now I see lots of times when (and it is because of the way the law is written) if an aquatic species like a frog needs habitat help it can't get it because the rules only protect fish. There are too many overlaps, where the line between fish and wildlife needs are not clear and having separate agencies would exacerbate the difference. "That's not our problem" would be heard even more then than it is now.

Heck, when the Fish side was looking at regs to protect Loons from lead poisoning the Wildlife side did not want to help and it was a "fish problem".

As cumbersome as it is the current set up could work with a good Commission and good leadership. But I dream....

Merging the old WDF and WDG was a good idea because fish are still fish, and the merger reduced and eliminated overlapping duplication of effort. The Commission system is a good one, given that the most likely alternative is to have the governor appoint the WDFW Director, which every governor would prefer. If the Commission were eliminated and the Director was elected, like with DNR, hunters and anglers would be screwed at the ballot box because most voters don't hunt or fish. The antis would run the department.

The problem with the Commission, as hunters and anglers see it, is that the antis appear to have the governor's ear. Candidly, I think that is the trend of the future, with an increasing population and a smaller percentage of that population actively engaged in hunting and fishing. The only way to gain the governor's ear is to out-organize the antis.

And out-donate. Need to buy more politicians.

The only way to win is to have resources to manage in the first place.

The gubermunt has ran the state in the ground.

That's the problem. To many people in charge are bought and paid for. Let the folks that actually fish/hunt in this state vote for who they want managing. Inslee has proven to us that he has failed and doesn't have our best interests in mind so, probably dont want to work with that guy. It all starts at the top, remember? And yes our population is growing fast. Over 8 million illegals have had the red carpet rolled out to them in this country. What will wa state do? Oh ya know. The same thing they have been doing the past 30years and let us down. Again.

Son: do we gotta go blue creek with everybody again dad? Dad:yeah boy. That's all we got left. Son:we cant even wet a line on our home river dad? Dad: sorry son. The agency and state like to play games and politics with our fisheries and closed everything close to home. Son: well dad, i dont think i could ever get into steelhead fishing. (great to show the next generation of anglers state of wa) well done.

Spoon, and the Cowlitz ain't what it used to be. WDFW eliminated the early steelhead run and went to the later timed fish. And the number of steelhead planted is less than it used to be.

The change in run timing of steelhead in the Cowlitz hatchery was not WDFW's decision but courtesy of NOAA and ESA.

Overheard in the lunch room at WDFW Montesano: Two young steelhead managers talking quietly over the top of their computers. "We sure managed those steelhead good while they lasted. Wanna go out and check the rivers today? Nah, it's too cold and rainy."

(okay, I know I'm cruel. I apologize, kinda'. Tug)

I started in WDG and it was expected that the bios fished as part of the job. It was expected and it was how they knew what was going on. Now, they look at computer screens.... Should I apologize, too, Tug???