1. Warmwater Fisheries Management in Washington 2013 Update
Danny Garrett, Ph.D.
Warmwater Fisheries Biologist
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Mill Creek, Washington

2. Topics Increase in tournament application/permit fees
Contentious regulations adopted by the fish commission in March 2013
Lake Samish and the potential for tiger musky
Long-term warmwater program goals (a.k.a. 20-year plan)

3. Fish Transport and Tournament Permit/Application Processing Fees
Substitute Senate Bill 5385 (Known as the Fee Bill) increased fees to a wide variety of licenses and permits was passed by the Washington State Senate on April 21, 2011. 
Under RCW , a $70 processing fee (non-refundable) and a $24 permit fee (refundable) are required for all applications and permits.  The $24 permit fee is refundable (WAC ) if the application is denied.
Fee Increases: taxidermy license, fur dealer's license, game fish guide license, game farm license, game fish stocking permit, and fishing contest permits.
WDFW has lost 50% of its General State Fund from 2007 to No state income tax. User services must be paid for, or eliminated.
These changes were designed by Financial Services, passed by legislature in April, 2011, and communicated to fish program staff on December 20, 2012.

4. 2013 Regulations Adopted by Fish Commission (16 of 69)
Comments
Remove internal combustion motors prohibition on small streams 21
Washington Administrative Code (WAC) language, maintenance, and technical changes 3
Resident trout streams open on Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend 12
Statewide fishing closure for sixgill, sevengill and thresher sharks 54
Evaluate two pole fishing opportunity on "quality water" lakes statewide 45
Statewide white sturgeon rules 35
Align Washburn Island Pond rules with Colville Tribes 15
Increase Snake River hatchery summer steelhead harvest
Remove or modify size and daily limits for bass, walleye, and channel catfish in the Columbia River, Snake River and their tributaries
259
Clarify boundaries for Burbank Slough 1
Clarify areas open to angling on the Walla Walla River 4
Consistent internal combustion motor rules on the Grande Ronde River
Prohibit the use of internal combustion motors on Yocum Lake
Convert Leader Lake to a year-round fishery 14
Liberalize bag limits for walleye on Lake Roosevelt and the Spokane Arm of Lake Roosevelt
125 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

5. 2012 Sampling of Lake Samish- Preliminary Results

6. Species Composition in Lake Samish

14. The Warmwater Program’s 20-year Plan Key Result Areas I-IV
I- Fisheries and Fish Population Management
II- Native Species Protection
III- Internal and External Support
IV- Artificial Production

15. KEY RESULT AREA I Fisheries and Fish Population Management
Panfish- define opportunities
Black crappie stocking (1-3 lakes, statewide)
Walleye- Fall Walleye Index Netting
Bass- evaluate 2002 and 2008 regulation changes
Tiger Musky- develop one more water (continue maintenance stockings elsewhere)
Channel Catfish- GOAL=50,000 catfish every year
Update Species Management Plans
Estimate utilization of warmwater resources

16. KEY RESULT AREA III Internal and External Support
Continue communication with fishing organizations
Design FISH WASHINGTON search engine
Repost WW Management Webpage
Perform creel surveys on lakes where WW opportunities are expanding
Explore education and promotion through social media

17. Using the Internet to Understand Angler Behavior in the Information Age Martin, D. R., B. M. Pracheil, J. A. DeBoer, G. R. Wilde, and K. L. Pope Fisheries, Vol 37, No 10, October 2012
“Declining participation in outdoor recreation has left natural resource management agencies scrambling to find new anglers to fund natural resource protection and management. The fate of the funding likely rests with younger people who regularly use the Internet to obtain information that will enhance and improve their activities in their day-to-day lives.”