Fisheries Management | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

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For more information on fisheries management, please contact the WDFW Fish Program.
360-902-2700
fishpgm@dfw.wa.gov

Fisheries Management

NORTH OF FALCON

Closeup photo of two salmon swimming underwater with mouths agape.

Public meeting on salmon forecasts, season-setting process scheduled on March 1
Anglers, commercial fishers and others interested in Washington state salmon fisheries can get a preview of this year's salmon returns and potential fishing seasons during a public meeting March 1 in Olympia.
Learn more >>

•	North of Falcon Meeting Calendar

WILLAPA BAY SALMON MANAGEMENT

Photo of fishing pole over water at sunset.

WDFW seeks comments on revised draft policy for Willapa Bay salmon fisheries
State fisheries managers are seeking public comments through March 26 on a revised draft policy to improve salmon management for Willapa Bay. The revised draft policy includes new provisions proposed by the public to conserve wild salmon runs, clarify catch allocation, and reduce conflicts between sport and commercial fishers in Willapa Bay.
Learn More >>

•	Willapa Bay Salmon Management Website

COLUMBIA RIVER SEA LIONS
	Columbia River salmon and steelhead face a serious threat from California sea lions that prey on fish waiting to move up the fish ladders at Bonneville Dam in early spring. Each year since 2002, sea lions have consumed thousands of migrating fish, many from threatened and endangered runs protected under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Learn more >>

SALMON CONSERVATION
	The Salmon Conservation Reporting Engine (SCoRE) website provides up-to-date information on populations, and provide context for the efforts WDFW and its partners are taking in the arenas of habitat, hatcheries, and harvest to protect and conserve salmon and steelhead in Washington. Learn more >>

HATCHERIES

Updated lower Columbia River hatchery genetic management plans available for review
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will accept public comments through Oct. 5 on updated draft management plans that will be used by the agency to operate several hatchery programs in the lower Columbia River. Learn more >>

PUGET SOUND ROCKFISH CONSERVATION
Learn More >>	To protect and restore rockfish populations in Puget Sound, WDFW has developed a Puget Sound Rockfish Conservation Plan. The management plan � approved in March 2011 � includes policies, strategies and actions designed to help restore and maintain abundance, distribution, diversity and long-term productivity of rockfish populations in Puget Sound.

SALMON AND STEELHEAD CONSERVATION

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	Running Time: 4:53

21st Century Salmon and Steelhead Initiative
Big challenges for wild salmon and steelhead require that management and recovery efforts be more strategic than ever. WDFW must: support the work of our partners to restore and protect habitat; ensure fisheries protect wild populations; and reform hatchery programs. There wasn’t a blueprint for how to accomplish this all at once- so we made one. Learn More >>

FISH AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION
	Hatchery & Fishery Reform Policy The hatchery and fishery reform policy is designed to advance WDFW’s ongoing effort to ensure hatchery operations help conserve and recover naturally spawning salmon and steelhead populations while also supporting sustainable fisheries. Learn More >>

VIDEO

Underwater video of the September 2006 low dissolved oxygen event in Hood Canal, Puget Sound.

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	Running Time: 4:43