Wednesday June 25, 2025
Northwest Sportsman —
WDFW is laying off staffers for 29 positions, not filling many of 170 vacancies, shutting down a hatchery, closing a popular steelhead fishery next year and is being forced to let a predator suppression project largely lapse as a result of Washington lawmakers’ recently approved two-year budget.
“In short, the final adopted budget in response to the state’s budget deficit requires the Department to modify, scale back, or stop doing important work for fish and wildlife conservation. We’ve approached the cuts first through reducing costs across the Department in goods and services, then through vacancy savings, and as a final option, through a reduction in force,” said Director Kelly Susewind in an all-staff message on budget impacts.
Writing last Friday, Susewind stated that those affected by the reduction in staffing have been notified over the past month, and his memo also outlined program cuts of note for Evergreen State hunters and anglers, who themselves are facing a 38 percent increase in license fees passed along by legislators beginning July 1, as well as return of the Columbia River salmon and steelhead endorsement starting January 1, 2026.
In particular, the news isn’t good for Pugetropolis anglers, especially those who fish three North Cascades river systems.