The Winter issue of the Fish and Wildlife Planner is now available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/hab/fw_planner/index.htm .   This newsletter addresses issues relevant to fish and wildlife planning and is specifically meant to assist Washington's planning professionals. 
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Jane Lubchenco, an Oregon State professor and marine biologist, is reported to be President-elect Obama’s pick to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Click here for a report in the Friday, Dec. 19 The Oregonian.

OLYMPIA-In a special meeting today, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to accept the resignation of Jeffrey P. Koenings, Ph.D., from his position as director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), effective Dec. 11, and appointed Phil Anderson as interim department director.
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OLYMPIA- After a decade of leadership in fostering scientific and collaborative management of state natural resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Jeff Koenings, Ph.D., has announced his resignation, effective Dec. 11.
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The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will begin accepting grant applications Dec. 1 from individuals and groups seeking financial support for volunteer projects that benefit fish and wildlife.
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An additional public workshop has been scheduled Dec. 9 to discuss how annual seasons are set for recreational salmon fisheries, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.
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The Cowlitz River Fisheries Technical Committee (FTC) is holding a public meeting December 2, 2008 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Morton. The meeting will be in the Bob Lyle Community Center at Gust Backstrom Park.
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Click Here for WDF&W rule extension.

OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking nominations through Dec. 1 for membership on the Steelhead/Cutthroat Policy Advisory Group.
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VANCOUVER, Wash. - Starting Sunday (Sept. 14), anglers fishing the lower Cowlitz River may keep one adult chinook salmon as part of their daily catch limit.
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The Cowlitz River Fisheries Technical Committee will hold a public meeting Tuesday, August 19 in Centralia to discuss projects and plans for significantly improving downstream fish collection at and near Cowlitz Falls Dam. The meeting is set for 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Washington Hall at Centralia College. The meeting was originally scheduled for August 14 but is moved to August 19 to accommodate the attendance of Lewis County PUD.
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Portland, Oregon - A new 10-year agreement guiding salmon harvest and production on the Columbia River, approved yesterday by a federal judge, provides a long-term framework for rebuilding weak fish populations and conducting sustainable fisheries, state and tribal leaders said today.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has appointed Tim Romanski to succeed Brian Peck as the agency's representative on the Cowlitz River Fisheries Technical Committee. See the Who's Who? page for more information.

OLYMPIA - Modifications to salmon and steelhead hatchery operations on the lower Columbia River will be discussed at four public meetings this month in southwest Washington. 
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VANCOUVER, Wash. - Hunters and other area residents will have an opportunity to help shape future hunting seasons in southwest Washington at three "open house" events scheduled in August by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
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Starting today (June 25), anglers may once again keep hatchery-reared chinook salmon they catch while fishing on the Cowlitz, Kalama, and Lewis rivers in southwest Washington.
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People interested in the future of the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery and fishing on the Cowlitz River will learn about Tacoma Power’s hatchery-rebuild plans on June 26 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Hosting the public meeting in Washington Hall at Centralia College are Tacoma Power and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. The meeting also will allow fishing enthusiasts an opportunity to ask questions about Cowlitz River fisheries management plans and activities.
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VANCOUVER, Wash. - Anglers will once again have a chance to catch chinook salmon and hatchery steelhead on large areas of the Columbia River, some of which have been closed to fishing for both species for the past month.

Starting Monday (June 16), the sport fishery for summer chinook salmon will open from Bonneville Dam to Priest Rapids Dam and run through July 31.  Below Bonneville Dam, anglers can retain adult chinook salmon June 21-28.

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The sport fishery for salmon begins June 1 off the southern coast of Washington, where the first anglers of the season will cast off from Westport and Ilwaco a full month earlier than usual.
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OLYMPIA - After weeks of exceptional salmon fishing, fishery managers for Washington and Oregon agreed to close the spring chinook fishery on the lower Columbia River beginning Monday (April 21), when anglers are expected to reach their pre-season catch target.
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April 15 WDF&W emergency rule. Read more...

SEATAC - With low returns of coho and wild chinook salmon expected back to several rivers in Washington, salmon fisheries approved today include increased restrictions this year for anglers in the ocean, Puget Sound, and the Columbia River.
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Tacoma Power on Thursday, April 3, released 3,500 rainbow trout at Swofford Pond (located near Mossyrock Park and Riffe Lake). Other releases are planned in Cowlitz River watershed. Updated information will be in Monday's Cowlitz Fish Report. The trout are from the Nisqually Trout Farm and the WDF&W's net pens in Mayfield Lake.

A small investment now could earn a lifetime of savings for the lucky winners of a unique drawing offered by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

The drawings, which are held four times a year, reward winners with a lifetime of hunting and fishing privileges in Washington state. The cost to enter is $6.50 for Washington residents and $12.50 for non-residents. Those who win will never have to buy another license to hunt or fish in the state. Read More. . .

More than 30 ideas for improving the safe capture of juvenile salmon at or near Cowlitz Falls Dam were described at a public meeting Thursday, May 20, in Centralia. Seven citizens attended the meeting to hear fisheries managers from Tacoma Power and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife explain the outcome from a recent two-day workshop of fish-collection experts.
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SACRAMENTO - Washington salmon fishers face a lean fishing season in the ocean this year following the lowest Columbia River coho forecast in a decade, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today.

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Anglers are invited to put their skills to work in a steelhead-genetics study in the Cowlitz River Basin.
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Click to open PDF of document describing the history of fish collection at Cowlitz Falls Dam.

A multi-agency technical group involved in rebuilding naturally spawning salmon and steelhead runs on the upper Cowlitz River will host a public meeting March 20 in Centralia to share input received from experts for improving fish collection at the Cowlitz Falls Dam.
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A new steelhead management plan designed to protect and rebuild wild stocks throughout the state won approval by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission at a public meeting here March 8.
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The popular spring chinook salmon fishery opens Sunday, March 16, on portions of the Columbia River with high expectations and several significant changes from previous years.
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OLYMPIA - Hatchery chinook salmon returns to the Columbia River and portions of Puget Sound are expected to be up from last year, but low returns of coho and wild chinook could put a damper on upcoming salmon fisheries around the state.
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OLYMPIA - Columbia River anglers will find more opportunities to catch spring chinook salmon higher upstream this year under fishing seasons adopted today by fishery managers from Washington and Oregon.
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OLYMPIA - The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission today approved new allocation guidelines for this year's spring chinook salmon season on the lower Columbia River that favor recreational fisheries.
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VANCOUVER, Wash. - Recreational and commercial fishers testified for more than three-and-a-half hours before the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission here Jan. 12 on ways to apportion the annual catch of Columbia River chinook salmon.
Previous allocation guidelines expired Dec. 31, raising the possibility that catch ratios governing sport and commercial chinook fisheries on the Columbia River could change.
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