The digest is a roundup of news concerning fish and wildlife management in Washington and beyond.
Top Updates
- Washington state legislators have introduced a bill to allow ranchers to shoot the first wolf returning to a predation site.
- Killer whale conservation groups and tribes continue to celebrate the new calf in the Southern Resident killer whale J pod. Scientists have confirmed that the calf is male.
Read in more detail below.
Top Stories
State Wildlife Reform
Can hunting and conservation coexist? A WA proposal sparks debate. Rebecca Dzombak, High Country News (via Crosscut). December 29, 2023.
- The article describes the October 26-27 Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting and the controversy over the draft Conservation Policy. It quotes Claire Davis, founder and president of Washington Wildlife First: “If the Commission does not put preserving wildlife first, there is not going to be wildlife left for people to hunt.”
Naturally Speaking: A column by Mark Nale (opinion). The Huntingdon Daily. December 23, 2023.
- The author warns against a bill introduced into the Pennsylvania state legislature that would hand the election of Pennsylvania Game Commissioners over to hunters and anglers by “allow[ing] agency license buyers to nominate and vote for commissioner candidates.”
General Wildlife Management
A Proclamation on the 50th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, 2023. The White House. December 27, 2023.
- On the 50th anniversary of passage of the Endangered Species Act, President Biden reaffirms his commitment to “to restoring the full power and promise of the Endangered Species Act and conserving our Nation’s lands and waters” and highlights his administration’s actions to conserve biodiversity.
Two Stoneflies Lead the Way for Conserving Other Uncharismatic Species. Haily Smalley, Sierra. December 28, 2023.
- This article in the Sierra Club’s magazine highlights the 2019 listing of two stonefly species under the Endangered Species Act. While these stoneflies may be doomed, many scientists are “hopeful the species’ recent protection under the law could still set a precedent for safeguarding insects worldwide.” WildEarth Guardians, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned for the two species’ listing.
An Open Letter to Parties to the UNFCCC, the IPCC, and Multilateral Agencies: Protecting and restoring wildlife populations is one of our best nature-based solutions to combat climate change. Rewilding: The Global Alliance, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Blue Marine Foundation, Wilderness Foundation, and Union of Nature Foundation. (No date).
- This open letter highlights the importance of wildlife conservation in mitigating global climate change.
Could 2024 be the year nature rights enter the political mainstream? Jonathan Watts, The Guardian. January 1, 2024.
- Watts describes the experimental, “bold tactics” of two organizations, More Than Human Rights and Animals in the Room, which “represent a new wave of nature and animal rights movements gaining traction amid frustration over humanity’s ultra-exploitative relationship with other species and growing concern about the shortcomings of the technology-and-markets approach to the climate crisis.”
Wolves
Washington bill proposes shooting first wolf back to carcass. Don Jenkins, The Capital Press. January 3, 2024.
- Washington State representatives Keith Wagoner (R-Sedro Woolley) and Kevin Van Der Wege (D-Sequim) have prefiled a bill, SB 5939, that would allow ranchers to shoot the first wolf to return to the site of a livestock predation. The article quotes the response of Tim Coleman of Kettle Range Conservation Group: “I don’t think this is the way to do it…Ranchers are not supposed to leave dead animals out so they can become an attractant.”
Monthly Wolf Report- December 2023. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. January 4, 2024.
- Among other news, WDFW reports that an uncollared wolf was found dead in December. It did not provide further detail on how and where the wolf died.
The surprise release of wolves near my ranching town has eroded ranchers’ trust (opinion). Skylar Fisher, The Denver Post. December 31, 2023.
- A Colorado rancher expresses anxiety and his feelings of being “blindsided” over the release of the first five wolves not far from his ranch.
- AgInfo includes a brief description of the opposition to the Colorado wolf reintroduction in its “Agribusiness Roundup,” which claims that “Several tourism directors…point out it’s another predator to watch out for with children and small animals.”
Wolves win against farmers as Swiss cull put on hold. Imogen Foulkes, BBC News (via MSN). December 31, 2023.
- Swiss courts have partially suspended a “cull” of wolves after an environmental organization challenged the Swiss government’s approval of measures that would have allowed the eradication of whole packs. The government is appealing the suspension.
Fish & Marine Mammals
Petition Calls For Closing OlyPen Winter Steelhead Fishing Thru Mid-Feb. Andy Walgamott, Northwest Sportsman. January 3, 2024.
- Walgamott reports on The Conservation Angler (TCA)’s petition to close winter steelhead fishing in the Olympic Peninsula through February 15 in order to protect wild populations from sublethal effects of catch-and-release. Walgamott also brings up Wild Fish Conservancy and TCA’s petition to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to list Olympic Peninsula steelhead under the Endangered Species Act. NMFS initially found that the petition presented information that the listing may be warranted.
The Story of the Orcas and the Salmon, on the Endangered Species Act’s 50th Birthday (op-ed). Ben Jealous, The Washington Informer. January 3, 2024.
- Jealous, the executive director of the Sierra Club, writes of the urgent need to breach the Lower Snake River dams to save Southern Resident killer whales.
‘They’re our relatives.’ Samish Indian Nation prepares to welcome new orca calf to Puget Sound. Gustavo Sagrero Alvarez, KUOW. January 3, 2024.
- Coast Salish tribes such as the Samish Indian Nation are preparing for a potlatch ceremony to name the male Southern Resident killer whale calf known as J60 with an official name. The ceremony will take place if the calf, first observed in late December 2023, survives for a year.
- West Seattle Blog reports that the calf is a male.
- The national environmental news outlet EcoWatch has more details about the new calf.
- J60 has even made international news, with the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail delighting in the “gorgeous baby orca.”
It’s getting quieter in Puget Sound and easier for orcas to find dinner. Natalie Akane Newcomb, KUOW. December 27, 2023.
- Orca conservation groups are saying that voluntary slowing of boat traffic in parts of Puget Sound is already improving conditions for Southern Resident killer whales.
An Open Letter to our Representatives, Present and Near Future (guest column). Alison Langley, PhD, The Islands’ Sounder. January 4, 2024.
- The author urges lawmakers to support the breaching of Lower Snake River dams, writing, “Although hydropower has been touted as ‘green’, the slackwater reservoirs behind these dams not only impair fish migration with their slow, solar heated current, they in fact emit significant amounts of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. With fewer salmon to fertilize forests, the trees sequester less carbon. Fish-killing dams are not ‘green’, and their maintenance currently costs far more than they are worth.”
Bears
Commercial timber owners in Washington will be able to apply for black bear damage permits. Courtney Platt, Northwest Public Broadcasting. December 28, 2023.
- Platt reports that commercial timber owners will be able to allow black bear hunting on their lands, “if they prove a bear damages [sic] their trees.” The article quotes Commissioner Lorna Smith, one of the three dissenters in the vote to allow this hunt: “It seems to me this is more of a social solution than actually knowing if it works.”
Other Wildlife
How the “No Kill” Movement Betrays Its Name. Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker. December 25, 2023. (If you encounter a paywall, access the article here.)
- Franzen describes the population explosion of feral cats in Los Angeles and profiles some of the volunteers and nonprofit workers attempting to stem the growth through trap-neuter-return (T.N.R.) efforts. The article questions whether T.N.R. really works to stop population growth, as well as whether “no-kill” shelters are really more humane than shelters that allow killing.
Washington wolverines up for protected status change amid climate threats. Isaac Stone Simonelli, Cascadia Daily News. January 3, 2024.
- WDFW is asking for information from the public on the state’s wolverines. Wolverines are now federally listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) but are not yet listed under the state ESA.
Tacomans dubbed this disfigured but hardy coyote ‘Jawless Jerry’. Scott Greenstone, KNKX. January 2, 2024.
- Some Tacomans have “fallen in love” with a coyote who is missing her top jaw. An artist from Grit City Magazine has designed merchandise featuring “Jawless Jerry’s” image, with a percentage of proceeds benefiting wildlife rehabilitation centers.
- The News Tribune published an op-ed by hunter Jordan Rash calling to “keep nature wild” and let wild animals live – including Jawless Jerry.
Other Washington Fish & Wildlife News
General Wildlife Management
Hunting incident determined tragic accident. The Islands’ Sounder. December 27, 2023.
2023: The year outdoors. Michael Wright, The Spokesman-Review. December 29, 2023.
Chapman Lake land swap finalized. Michael Wright, The Spokesman-Review. January 3, 2024.
State of Washington Acquires More Than 1,700 Acres in 2023 for Conservation Efforts. Big Country News. December 27, 2023.
Fish & Marine Mammals
$40 million available for streamflow restoration projects (news release). Washington Department of Ecology. January 2, 2024.
Invasive European green crabs threaten Northwest shellfish industries. Jule Gilfillan, Oregon Public Broadcasting. January 4, 2024.
Razor clam digs remain tentative for January. George Kunke, Willapa Harbor Herald. January 3, 2024.
Bonneville, The Dalles Keeper Sturgeon Fishery To Close. Andy Walgamott, Northwest Sportsman. January 3, 2024.
WDFW invites public comment on proposal to open Stevens County’s Deer Lake to year-round fishing (press release). Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. January 4, 2024.
Lessons from the orca (op-ed). Mario A. Montalvo, Edmonds Beacon. January 4, 2024.
Other National & International Fish & Wildlife News
State Wildlife Reform
Nonprofits Still Have Time to Apply for Special Big Game Permits. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. December 28, 2023.
10 biggest environmental stories of 2023. Chuck Thompson, Columbia Insight. December 26, 2023.
Vermont has new trapping & coyote hunting rules. But some lawmakers want to change how they’re made. Abagael Giles, Vermont Public. January 3, 2024.
General Wildlife Management
As the Endangered Species Act turns 50, those who first enforced it reflect on its mixed legacy. Travis Loller, AP News. December 27, 2023.
A Leopolian [sic] ethic (opinion). Joseph Morin, Montana Standard. January 2, 2024.
Fish, Shellfish & Marine Mammals
The Year of the Orca. Rachel Riederer, The New Yorker. December 28, 2023. (If you cannot access the article, click here.)
‘Prolific’ killer whale matriarch Wake presumed dead after nearly a year without a sighting. CBC. January 3, 2024.
Bears
The Coming War on Grizzly Bears (op-ed). Doug Peacock, Alta. December 21, 2023.
On the Lighter Side
Amazing drone footage of humpback whale in Washington (YouTube video). KOMO News. January 3, 2024.
