BY ANDY WALGAMOTT, NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN MAGAZINE
A dozen fishing and hunting organizations sent top Washington state lawmakers a letter today supporting WDFW’s “modest requests” to restore funding for game warden positions, salmon and steelhead monitoring, and sea lion management when they roll out their 2027-29 budget proposals.
The instate, regional and national orgs, who say they represent Evergreen State hunters and anglers who collectively contribute $23 billion to the state’s economy, termed the three areas “critical programs.”
“We also seek to restore funding that was cut to hatcheries programs and led to the proposed closure of the premier Skamania Hatchery facility,” added the group, which included the American Sportfishing Association, Coastal Conservation Association of Washington, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Ducks Unlimited and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, among others.
Their letter was directed towards a quintet of Democrats – Governor Bob Ferguson, who will roll out his proposed budget before the start of next year’s long session of the state legislature; Senator June Robinson and Representative Timm Ormsby, who head up their chambers’ revenue and allocations committees and write their own budget proposals; and Senator Mike Chapman and Representative Kristine Reeves, who chair natural resources committees overseeing WDFW.
The 2027 session begins January 11 and is scheduled to wrap up April 26.
As for specific asks, the conservation orgs are backing WDFW’s $7.6 million request to refill 13 fish and wildlife officer positions cut in the most recent budget biennium. Those were field officers who were spread across the state – “boots on the ground” living in their local communities and patrolling area woods and waters.
“Currently there are fewer officers patrolling Washington’s 42.6 million acres than there were 30 years ago. Washington’s population has doubled in that same timeframe. Please restore funding for this essential public service,” the group writes.
They also support the agency’s $4.8 million ask for fisheries monitoring. Lost funding is impacting salmon and steelhead seasons in North Sound waters the most.
“Simply put, recreational fishing cannot occur without robust fisheries monitoring. Monitoring is also critical to species conservation and recovery and comanagement with treaty Tribes. This funding request restores essential harvest and population monitoring activities for salmon fisheries and Puget Sound steelhead and shellfish recreational fisheries. With ongoing support for monitoring, WDFW can safeguard the health of imperiled fish stocks and meet federal Endangered Species Act and tribal requirements, while also providing diverse and accessible recreational fishing opportunities for all Washingtonians,” the group writes.
And they’re on board with WDFW’s request to move $1.7 million for sea lion management from a one-time basis to ongoing budget support.
“Pinniped predation is a significant challenge for our fisheries and is having direct negative impacts on recreational fishing opportunities. This funding seeks ongoing funding for Columbia River sea lion management alongside tribal and state agency comanagers. Without ongoing funding, WDFW will not be able to engage on an issue identified as important to Washington tribes, businesses, and citizens, and will undermine previous commitments,” they state.
The other seven organizations that signed onto the letter include the Columbia River Chapter of the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, Conservation Coalition of Washington, Delta Waterfowl, National Wild Turkey Federation, Northwest Wildlife Alliance, Safari Club International and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
As for the Skamania Hatchery, that is a point of contention between WDFW and sportsmen.
After receiving less funding than it had requested for the facility and one other in Southwest Washington in the 2025 legislature, WDFW announced it would be closing Skamania. While some production could be moved to nearby hatcheries, a closure also represented a loss of 161,000 winter and summer steelhead and cutthroat trout meant for local lakes and rivers.
WDFW subsequently asked for $650,000 to begin winding down operations there and also warned it would need $8 million to fully decommission it.
No money was provided in last year’s supplemental budget for that, but the plight of the hatchery has also received attention from both US Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-03) and her opponent this fall, Senator John Braun (R-Centralia). The former visited the facility as well as joined Clark County in asking WDFW to use a federal funding boost to reopen it, while the latter pitched a bill that would have required the agency to not reduce hatchery production levels due to hatchery closures.
In budget documents submitted earlier this month to the state Office of Financial Management, WDFW says it will need $7.125 million in the 2031-33 budget biennium to mothball the hatchery. “The agency did not take this decision lightly, and would rather not have to close production, however, with the reduction in operational funds, closure is needed. Proper shut down and abandonment aligns with our values for habitat protection and putting public safety first,” the agency states.
But the dozen organizations are asking lawmakers to help stave that off with $1.334 million to operate the hatchery and also incorporate new salmon programs.
“The Skamania Hatchery is a premier facility that provides critical support to fisheries and conservation goals and supports hundreds of millions of dollars of angling-related economic activity throughout Washington. Closing the facility will lead to the production loss of 85,000 Washougal River steelhead, 40,000 Salmon Creek steelhead, and 20,000 Rock Creek steelhead. We request the restoration of funding for the Skamania Hatchery and propose that this facility receive modest upgrades so that it can begin a model broodstock program that includes coho and chinook production. The Skamania Hatchery is superior to the other hatchery on the Washougal River and would better serve salmonid populations with colder, cleaner water and more advanced facilities. Please do not close this facility or sell it. The Skamania Hatchery is critically important to the community of Southwest Washington,” they write.
Time will tell if they’re heard by lawmakers about funding the hatchery, as well as game wardens, fishery monitoring and pinniped management.