Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

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The Washington Department of Fish and Wildife is a State Agency with a director that reports to the Fish & Wildlife Commission, which is composed of nine governor-appointed members who serve 6-year terms. Around 1500 employees work out of 6 regions and a headquarters. WDFW

Notes

  • Three programs represent the varied work and history of the agency.
    • Fish is larger than the other two combined, and negotiates harvest and issues fishing licenses, operates hatcheries, manages shellfish resources, and provides a science basis for fish population management.
    • Wildlife - manages game for hunting and 900,000 acres of land, and supports biodiversity planning for non-fish species.
    • Habitat - is the smallest program, and manages restoration funding and manages regulatory authorities, primarily administration of HPA. Its science section is focused on habitat management.
    • Enforcement - includes around 140 commissioned officers that enforce regulations.
    • Business Services - manages a wide range of administrative functions like information technology, sales, facilities, human resources, fiscal management, procurement, and the like.
  • Each program has a science section. The Habitat Program provides technical assistance to other agencies and local governments in implementation of habitat protections under Growth Management Act, Shoreline Management Act, and Forest Practices Act, and thus is often a principal source of Best Available Science.
  • WDFW has provided state-wide guidance on Riparian Buffers
  • The agency operates out of six regional offices. Each office has a regional director. Within the regional office, there are much stronger connections among the three programs compared to headquarters. Headquarters is located on the 4th and 5th floors of the Natural Resources Building in Olympia.

Chronology

  • 1994 - the legislature merges the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Wildlife to form WDFW.

Important Programs of Interest

The following Efforts and Products are associated with the category WDFW:

Efforts