January/February 2026 Director’s Bulletin
Just two months into 2026, winter is slowly winding down and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff are looking ahead to spring field work. This winter marked the launch of our new MyWDFW mobile application, a comprehensive mobile licensing tool for both hunters and anglers. We’re certainly excited about this new modern resource for WDFW licensing products, and it seems as if we’re not the only ones — 50,000 of you have already made the switch to mobile licensing for 2026!
Launched in December 2025, the new app supports license purchases, displays active hunting and fishing license privileges, and enables electronic tagging for a wide range of game species, including deer, elk, turkey, and black bear. App users can also report migratory bird harvests and submit end-of-season harvest reports.
Other features of the new MyWDFW app and the newly updated Fish Washington® app include electronic catch record card functionality for select fish species and an Enforcement View for WDFW officers, along with access to customer licensing (WILD) profiles.
MyWDFW’s launch is the first step in the Department’s long-term plan to phase out traditional, durable-paper licenses in favor of mobile licensing, with an option for an 8.5 x 11 available at each customer’s preference. Look out for an update on this transition coming soon!
Visit WDFW’s MyWDFW app webpage for more information, including frequently asked questions and how-to videos. WDFW is available for app support via email or by phone at 360–902–2464, Option 1. For more information about electronic catch reporting, visit our catch record card webpage.
Download both our free mobile apps in the Google Play and Apple app stores. App users who already have the Fish Washington® app should see an automatic update.
With this new app, we’re responding to feedback from hunters and anglers about the need for more efficient, modernized licensing options. The new MyWDFW app puts the ability for hunters and anglers to buy licenses, report harvests, and display their active licensing products right at their fingertips. We share your passion for getting outdoors, and we’re proud to offer MyWDFW to streamline the licensing experience for hunters and anglers across Washington.
Kelly Susewind, Director
Other topics in this edition:
Setting salmon seasons
Each year from February to April, state, federal, and tribal fishery managers gather to plan the northwest’s recreational and commercial salmon fisheries. This salmon season-setting process is known as North of Falcon (NOF) — a name that refers to waters north of Oregon’s Cape Falcon, which marks the southern border of Washington’s salmon management.
Last week, this annual process will formally kicked off with a Feb. 27 hybrid meeting in Olympia to unveil the 2026-27 salmon forecasts.
In our North of Falcon webpage you can find up-to-date forecasts, public input opportunities, resources, and general background and a schedule of upcoming open public meetings to discuss Washington salmon fisheries.
The public can also connect with us via our The Salmon Fishing Current: North of Falcon Edition 2026 blog, a series we launched three years ago to provide key information throughout the season setting process.
We anticipate announcing proposed fishing seasons later this spring in parallel with the Pacific Fishery Management Council meeting April 7-12. Thank you for your continued engagement around North of Falcon. We look forward to connecting with you — online or in person — around this year’s seasons.
How WDFW hatcheries make good use of surplus fish
WDFW owns and/or operates more than 80 hatcheries around the state producing more than 160 million juvenile salmon and steelhead annually. WDFW manages hatchery production with two core responsibilities in mind, meeting harvest objectives for treaty and non-treaty anglers, and ensuring the long-term conservation of fish populations. A key part of this work is maintaining adequate broodstock so that hatcheries can reliably produce the next generation of fish. Learn more about hatchery surplus fish in our blog.
How (and why) wildlife staff moved a sleeping bear
Have you ever slept so deeply that you were confused when you woke up? That may be what happened to one bear in northeast Washington after it holed up in the foundation of a house to hibernate and a team of wildlife professionals moved it while it slept! Why this bear was evicted, and how we moved a large sleeping animal, is in our blog That’s a deep sleep!
Grant funding awarded for habitat restoration and wildlife-friendly fencing projects
The Washington Shrubsteppe Restoration and Resiliency Initiative (WSRRI) recently awarded more than $1.4 million in grants and is contributing capacity and resources to support habitat restoration and wildlife-friendly fencing across the state’s shrubsteppe landscape. WSRRI is a collaborative initiative to benefit Washington’s shrubsteppe habitat and the wildlife that calls it home, especially in the face of increased wildfire threat.
Virtual fencing and other hard-fencing alternatives allow for livestock management while maintaining migration routes that promote wildlife and habitat connectivity. In addition to updating miles of fencing across these sensitive landscapes, WSRRI will support multiple partner projects that are expected to restore more than 760 acres through weed control, seeding and shrub planting, and fire line restoration, and will improve grazing management by developing off-stream watering sources for livestock. Refer to our news release for more information.
Celebrating Heart Health Month, Dungeness crab
February is American Heart Health Month, and this is a time when the key to a happy heart is to take on ways to advocate cardiovascular health. One way Washingtonians can do that is by considering healthy food choices, such as Washington-harvested seafood like Dungeness crab, a popular, nutritious delicacy right from the “heart” of our local marine waterways. Washington’s commercial crab fisheries are sustainably managed and provide locally harvested fresh Dungeness crab throughout most of the year.
The commercial coastal winter fishing season off the Washington coast recently got underway, with fresh, commercially caught Dungeness crab now available at dockside and in many retail markets, seafood vendors, and restaurants across the state. The coast is also open right now for recreational crab fishing. Learn more about Dungeness crab fisheries and their health benefits in our blog.
2026 spring turkey hunting regulations now available
This year’s Spring Season Wild Turkey Hunting Regulations Pamphlet is now available on WDFW’s website, and in print at your local license dealer or WDFW office! This year’s youth spring turkey season runs April 1–7, with the general season opener on April 15. Check out the regulations pamphlet for the latest rules and regulations before you hit the turkey woods this spring.
Public comment period open for 2026 Washington hunting season proposals
WDFW is accepting public comments on proposed hunting season rule changes as part of the Department’s annual hunting season setting process. The comment period is open until March 12, and comments may be submitted online, via email, or phone, or by mail. A virtual public hearing will also be held at 10:30 a.m. on March 11. Visit our website for details about how to review the proposed rule changes and submit comments.
Hunting season setting is an in-depth rule making process that allows WDFW to propose and collect public feedback on changes to Washington hunting rules. In between more robust three-year rule making cycles, annual season setting allows the Department to propose minor season changes or changes due to emerging needs. The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission or WDFW director set hunting seasons based on staff recommendations and public input.
European green crab management: field updates and partner highlights
In 2025, Washington’s coordinated effort to manage invasive European green crabs (EGC) continued to expand, driven by strong partnerships among WDFW, tribes, Washington Sea Grant, universities, shellfish growers, and other local organizations. More than 348,000 trap set days were deployed statewide, removing 1,096,169 green crabs, slightly more than in 2024. Warmer water temperatures fueled population growth along the West Coast, contributing to higher catches and new detections in previously unconfirmed areas.
In Hood Canal, WDFW launched the Regional Coordination Group, uniting 17 partners and expanding trapping by more than 30%. This effort led to new detections at nine sites and strengthened collaboration with tribal and shellfish‑growing partners.
By the end of 2025, there were more than 50 co-managers, tribes, and partners doing EGC work across Washington state. This network and coverage will continue to grow into 2026 thanks to sustained state funding and new federal funding. Partners’ trapping efforts are strategic, efficient, and well-coordinated thanks to the dedication of individual groups and support from Regional Coordination Groups, which are now operating in seven areas.
Refer to our new blog post for more details, the 2025 green crab detection map, research and partnership updates, seasonal trends, and much more. Catch updates are also available on WDFW’s EGC Online Hub, which helps collect and organize data from co-managers, tribes, and partners, involved in managing these invasive shore crabs.
Cowlitz River smelt fisheries, and increased advance notice, lead to successful dipping
After years of announcing smelt fisheries in the Cowlitz River just days or hours before opening, in 2024, WDFW switched to publishing a tentative dipping schedule on our webpage to provide more advance notice of potential fishing days while balancing increasing fishing effort with sustainable management practices. WDFW staff also publish regular observations on smelt presence and Cowlitz River conditions to help inform prospective dippers.
While these Columbia River smelt — also known as eulachon — didn’t cooperate in 2025, returning later than the scheduled dipping days, smelt fishers had much more success during dips on Feb. 18 and 21, 2026, harvesting an estimated 114,675 pounds of smelt. We’re proud of February’s successful fisheries, and how WDFW’s updated smelt communications and management is helping make this fishery more accessible, sustainable, and cooperative with local communities.
