Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

Please note that our X/Twitter direct messages are monitored infrequently. For urgent customer service including questions about fishing and hunting regulations or licenses, visit our Contact Us webpage or call or email the nearest WDFW regional office: wdfw.wa.gov/about/contact

Help #ProtectOurWaters from #AquaticInvasiveSpecies like golden mussels by remembering to #CleanDrainDry and stopping at all mandatory watercraft inspection stations this boating season. Learn more in this story by @thecolumbian columbian.com/news/2026/may/…

Refer to our news release for details, including how to access or call in to the meeting. wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/news-…

The purpose of the upcoming meeting is to discuss and get feedback on potential management measures intended to keep the catch within recreational harvest guidelines for the upcoming biennium.

WDFW is hosting a virtual public meeting to discuss management options for the 2027-2028 coastal recreational bottomfish fisheries and recommendations on the Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) optional halibut fishing dates in June on Wednesday, May 20 at 4 p.m. Photo by David Bergeron.

Golden mussels are now a prohibited level 1 species statewide. Learn more about the emergency rule, golden mussels, and how you can help in our latest blog post. #CleanDrainDry #ProtectOurWaters #AquaticInvasiveSpecies 📸 by @MyODFW wdfw.medium.com/golden-mussels…

For additional details on the recreational shrimp fishery, refer to the news release. wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/news-…

Several other areas of Puget Sound will open for spot shrimp on May 24, and Marine Area 12 (Hood Canal) will have an early opportunity on May 10. The recreational fishing seasons for non-spot shrimp will open on June 1 in some Puget Sound marine areas.

The recreational spot shrimp fisheries will not open in several Puget Sound marine areas, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) announced today. Photo by AJ Porter.

Our Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program's Learning Program funds science to inform restoration of habitats in Puget Sound. One such project is documenting how juvenile Chinook salmon are using non-natal streams during their migration to the ocean: nwtreatytribes.org/discovering-ch…

WDFW invites public comments on a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) determination that analyzed environmental impacts of permanently closing the shooting range on the Asotin Creek Wildlife Area in Asotin County. For more info, read our news release at wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/news-….

The 2026 statewide overall average was 3.6 per angler caught and/or released and the trout kept average was 1.9 per angler in 65 lakes surveyed by WDFW staff. To read more and see the statewide catch data, go to the WDFW blog. wdfw.medium.com/beautiful-weat…

It was a picture-perfect day for the statewide lowland lakes opening day of trout fishing on Saturday, April 25! An estimated 125,000 anglers caught 472,285 trout caught and took home 298,265 trout on the opener. Photo by WDFW.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (@NOAA) West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network was established in the 1980s under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. Members respond to marine mammal stranding events along the Washington, Oregon, & California coasts.

More info about gray Eastern North Pacific gray whales is available on the @NOAA website: fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/…

There's been an increase in whale strandings this year, with at least 12 reported in Washington this spring. Please report whale strandings to the @NOAA West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 1-866-767-6114. Learn more at: fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/mar…

For more information about the sport-reward fishery, including regulations, fishing locations, and how to register, refer to Pikeminnow.org or WDFW's webpage. wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/report…

In 2025, anglers turned in over 150,456 qualifying fish, with the top 20 anglers averaging more than $40,000 in rewards. Last season’s top angler earned $159,310 by catching 15,715 pikeminnow — the second highest payout and total catch in program history.

The 2026 Northern Pikeminnow Sport-Reward Fishery opens May 1. Funded by @BonnevillePower, the program pays anglers to catch predatory northern pikeminnow and help protect salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River basin. wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/news-…