Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to meet April 16-18 in Olympia

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold a hybrid meeting in Olympia from April 16 to 18 to hear briefings on a proposed land transaction, the Pacific Salmon Treaty and the 2025 annual wolf report, and make decisions on a proposed land acquisition and rule proposals regarding livestock compensation and commercial non-spot shrimp pot licenses.

The meeting will be held at the Natural Resources Building (1111 Washington St. SE in Olympia) and will be live streamed. The meeting agenda and details about attending virtually are available on the commission webpage.

Thursday, April 16, will begin with meetings of the Big Tent, Fish, Habitat and Wildlife committees. The Big Tent Committee will discuss budget, legislation and future meeting planning. The Fish Committee will then discuss the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission and commercial non-spot shrimp pot rule making. Habitat Committee discussion will focus on wildlife and habitat connectivity. The Wildlife Committee will discuss proposed rule making and conservation benefit agreements, and future meeting planning.

The full commission will convene on Friday, April 17, for an executive session followed by an open public input opportunity, a decision on proposed land transactions in Okanogan, Klickitat and Skagit counties and a briefing on an expedited project as part of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) Lands 20/20 initiative.

Then, the commission will decide on rule making proposals related to livestock compensation and converting Puget Sound commercial shrimp trawl licenses to Puget Sound commercial non-spot shrimp pot licenses. The commission will then hear an overview of the Pacific Salmon Treaty and a briefing from WDFW staff on the department’s annual wolf report. Friday’s meeting will end with an executive session.

Saturday, April 18, will begin with an open public input opportunity at 8 a.m., followed by a meeting debrief and future meeting planning.

All members of the public are invited to share their perspectives and participate in WDFW public feedback opportunities.

The meeting will be recorded and published on WDFW’s commission webpage so the public can watch afterward at their convenience.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is a panel appointed by the governor that sets policy for WDFW.