Fishin' Reports

I was on the computer in Zoom meetings for a good amount of time this past weekend. This was my last official meeting with the WDFW as a Commissioner. I served as a representative for Eastern Washington for a term of six years. It was a real privilege to serve the public on issues relating to the management of our fish and game and other natural resources in the state. Much of my time was dedicated to fish issues, and I served as one of four members on the Fish Committee. I spent a great deal of time on the Columbia River Policy process, at the North of Falcon meetings with our tribal co-managers and the Willapa Bay Policy. At our last meeting Bob Kehoe, a fellow Commissioner and Fish Committee member pointed out that I was instrumental in the change in how the Columbia River is managed. I demanded that any decisions that impact Columbia River fisheries include the concerns of the upper Columbia. Without this effort it is highly likely that we would not have had our summer run fisheries above Priest Rapids Dam in recent years. The work isn’t done, but significant progress has been made.