Title 77 — Title 77 FISH AND WILDLIFE

Currently, many of the salmon stocks of Washington state are critically reduced from their sustainable level. The best interests of all fishing groups and the citizens as a whole are served by a stable and productive salmon resource. Immediate action is needed to reverse the seve…

(1) The commission shall develop long-term regional policy statements regarding the salmon fishery resources before December 1, 1985. The commission shall consider the following in formulating and updating regional policy statements:(a) Existing resource needs;(b) Potential for c…

(1) The commission shall develop a detailed salmon enhancement plan with proposed enhancement projects. The plan and the regional policy statements shall be submitted to the secretary of the senate and chief clerk of the house of representatives for legislative distribution by Ju…

Upon approval by the legislature of funds for its implementation, the commission shall monitor the progress of projects detailed in the salmon enhancement plan.The commission shall be responsible for establishing criteria which shall be used to measure the success of each project…

As used in this chapter, "enhancement project" means salmon propagation activities including, but not limited to, hatcheries, spawning channels, rearing ponds, egg boxes, fishways, fish screens, streambed clearing, erosion control, habitat restoration, net pens, applied research …

The legislature finds that it is in the best interest of the salmon resource of the state to encourage the development of regional fisheries enhancement groups. The accomplishments of one existing group, the Grays Harbor fisheries enhancement task force, have been widely recogniz…

Regional fisheries enhancement groups, consistent with the long-term regional policy statements developed under RCW 77.95.020, shall seek to:(1) Enhance the salmon and steelhead resources of the state;(2) Maximize volunteer efforts and private donations to improve the salmon and …

Each regional fisheries enhancement group shall be incorporated pursuant to Title 24 RCW. Any interested person or group shall be permitted to join. It is desirable for the group to have representation from all categories of fishers and other parties that have interest in salmon …

The dedicated regional fisheries enhancement group account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. Only the commission or the commission's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but n…

The department may provide start-up funds to regional fisheries enhancement groups for costs associated with any enhancement project. The commission shall develop guidelines for providing funds to the regional fisheries enhancement groups.[ 2010 1st sp.s. c 7 s 82; 2000 c 107 s 1…

The regional fisheries enhancement salmonid recovery account is created in the state treasury. All receipts from federal sources and moneys from state sources specified by law must be deposited into the account. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expendi…

The commission shall prepare a salmon recovery plan for the Skagit river. The plan shall include strategies for employing displaced timber workers to conduct salmon restoration and other tasks identified in the plan. The plan shall incorporate the best available technology in ord…

The legislature finds that:(1) Regional enhancement groups are a valuable resource for anadromous fish recovery. They improve critical fish habitat and directly contribute to anadromous fish populations through fish restoration technology.(2) Due to a decrease in recreational and…

(1) The department shall maintain a fish passage barrier removal board. The board must be composed of a representative from the department, the department of transportation, cities, counties, the governor's salmon recovery office, tribal governments, and the department of natural…

(1) The department may coordinate with the recreation and conservation office in the administration of all state grant programs specifically designed to assist state agencies, private landowners, tribes, organizations, and volunteer groups in identifying and removing impediments …

(1)(a) To maximize available state resources, the department and the department of transportation must work in partnership to identify and complete projects to eliminate fish passage barriers caused by state roads and highways.(b) The partnership between the department and the de…

(1) The department of transportation, the department of ecology, and the department of fish and wildlife must use their existing authorities and guidance to provide a preference for the removal of existing fish passage barriers owned by cities and counties as compensatory mitigat…

The department shall field test coho and chinook salmon remote site incubators. The purpose of field testing efforts shall be to gather conclusive scientific data on the effectiveness of coho and chinook remote site incubators.[ 2010 1st sp.s. c 7 s 84; 1995 c 367 s 10. Formerly …

(1) The department shall develop and implement a program utilizing remote site incubators in Washington state. The program shall identify sites in tributaries that are suitable for reestablishing self-sustaining, locally adapted populations of coho, chum, or chinook salmon. The i…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the department may supply, at a reasonable charge, surplus salmon eggs to a person for use in the cultivation of salmon. The department shall not intentionally create a surplus of salmon to provide eggs for sale. The depar…

The legislature finds that:(1) The fishery resources of Washington are critical to the social and economic needs of the citizens of the state;(2) Salmon production is dependent on both wild and artificial production;(3) The department is directed to enhance Washington's salmon ru…

The director shall determine the cost of operating all state-funded salmon production facilities at full capacity and shall provide this information with the department's biennial budget request.[ 1989 c 336 s 2. Formerly RCW 75.08.410.]Notes:Severability—1989 c 336: See note fol…

The director may contract with cooperatives or private aquaculturists for the purchase of quality salmon smolts for release into public waters if all department fish rearing facilities are operating at full capacity. The intent of cooperative and private sector contracting is to …

If the director elects to contract with cooperatives or private aquaculturists for the purpose of purchasing quality salmon smolts, contracting shall be done by a competitive bid process. In awarding contracts to private contractors, the director shall give preference to nonprofi…

Nothing in chapter 336, Laws of 1989 shall authorize the practice of private ocean ranching. Privately contracted smolts become the property of the state at the time of release.[ 1989 c 336 s 5. Formerly RCW 75.08.440.]Notes:Severability—1989 c 336: See note following RCW 77.95.2…

Except as provided in RCW 77.95.210, the department may make available to private contractors salmon eggs in excess of department hatchery needs for the purpose of contract rearing to release the smolts into public waters. However, providing salmon eggs as specified in RCW 77.95.…

The legislature declares that the state has a vital interest in the continuation of recreational fisheries for chinook salmon and coho salmon in mixed stock areas, and that the harvest of hatchery origin salmon should be encouraged while wild salmon should be afforded additional …

The department shall mark appropriate coho salmon that are released from department operated hatcheries and rearing ponds in such a manner that the fish are externally recognizable as hatchery origin salmon by fishers for the purpose of maximized catch while sustaining wild and h…

The department shall adopt rules to control the mixed stock chinook and coho fisheries of the state so as to sustain healthy stocks of wild salmon, allow the maximum survival of wild salmon, allow for spatially separated fisheries that target on hatchery stocks, foster the best t…

(1) The department shall maintain a report identifying total salmon and steelhead harvest. This report shall include the final commercial harvests and recreational harvests. At a minimum, the report shall clearly identify:(a) The total treaty tribal and nontribal harvests by spec…

(1) The department shall establish a program that utilizes department-partner agreements for the resumption or continued operation and management of state-owned salmonid hatcheries that are located in the Hood Canal basin. To implement the program, the department shall accept and…

The powers and authority conferred by this chapter must be construed as in addition and supplemental to powers or authority conferred by any other law and nothing contained in this chapter may be construed as limiting any other powers or authority of the department.[ 2009 c 340 s…

The department may contract with cities and counties to assist in the identification and removal of impediments to fish passage.[ 2014 c 120 s 6.]

(1) The Washington state department of transportation and every county, city, and town may accept any money or property donated, devised, or bequeathed to it that is donated for the purpose of fish barrier removal. The Washington state department of transportation and local gover…