The digest is a roundup of news concerning fish and wildlife management in Washington and beyond.
Top Updates
- Southern Resident killer whale calf J60 is likely dead after failing to appear with the rest of the pod.
- The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has denied endangered species protections to gray wolves in the Northern Rockies. Several environmental groups are planning to sue.
State Wildlife Reform
Anti-hunting groups are lying. WA Fish & Wildlife commissioners are taking the bait (opinion). Ryan Garrett, The News Tribune. February 9, 2024.
Amid rancor, state commission pauses changes to wildlife management policy. K.C. Mehaffey, Columbia Insight. February 1, 2024.
Wolves
Inslee grants petitioners’ appeal on wolf killings in Washington. Erin Rebar, The Wenatchee World. January 29, 2024.
Washington Fish and Wildlife director ‘hates’ Inslee’s wolf order. Don Jenkins, Capital Press. January 31, 2024.
WDFW opens public comment period for rule making on proposed status change for the gray wolf (press release). Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. February 7, 2024.
Monthly Wolf Report- January 2024. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. February 7, 2024.
WDFW statement on USFWS gray wolf federal status review announcement (press release). Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. February 2, 2024.
N.E. Washington excels at wolf recovery, now seeks relief. Don Jenkins, Capital Press. January 30, 2024.
Fish & Marine Mammals
Endangered baby orca J60 missing, presumed dead. John Ryan, KUOW. January 29, 2024.
Orgs Threaten Lower Columbia Hatchery Lawsuit. Andy Walgamott, Northwest Sportsman. January 29, 2024.
Thousands of Chinook wasted as bycatch in B.C. fishery, new report finds. Lynda V. Mapes, The Seattle Times. February 9, 2024.
Top National & International Fish & Wildlife Stories
General Wildlife Management
Breaking: US Fish and Wildlife proposes to protect native carnivores on national wildlife refuges. Kitty Block and Sara Amundson, The Humane Society of the United States. February 1, 2024.
Wolves
Lawsuit Launched to Protect Wolves in Northern Rocky Mountains (press release). Center for Biological Diversity. February 7, 2024.
Legal action launched to protect wolves in northern Rocky Mountains (press release). Humane Society of the United States. February 7, 2024.
USFWS Decides Against Listing Gray Wolves as Endangered in Western U.S., Plans Nationwide Recovery Effort. US Fish & Wildlife Service via (Big Country News). February 2, 2024.
Feds decline protections for Western wolves. Michael Wright, The Spokesman-Review. February 2, 2024.
US won’t restore protections for wolves in Rockies, proposes national recovery plan. Michael Brown and Todd Richmond, Associated Press. February 2, 2024.
Groups eye lawsuit after wolf petition is rejected. Eric Barker, The Lewiston Tribune. February 8, 2024.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denies federal protections for Northern Rockies gray wolves (press release). Sierra Club. February 2, 2024.
Other Wildlife
No more prizes for killing ‘nuisance’ animals under these hunting contest bans. Alex Brown, Stateline. January 30, 2024.
Montana to sue feds over wolverine endangered species listing. Laura Lundquist, Missoula Current. January 26, 2024.
Other Washington Fish & Wildlife News
General Wildlife Management
Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission met Jan. 25-27 in Olympia (press release). Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. January 29, 2024.
WA Fish-Hunt Constitutional Amendment Bill Passes Out of Committee. Andy Walgamott, Northwest Sportsman. January 29, 2024.
Millions slated for wildlife overpass in Skagit County. Isaac Stone Simonelli, Cascadia Daily News. January 31, 2024.
Washington State releases data on wildlife-related recreation. Vince Richardson, Big Country News. February 7, 2024.
In letter to Interior Secretary Haaland, lawmakers seek prohibition of the inhumane devices on federal public lands (press release). Official website of Congressman Steve Cohen. February 8, 2024.
Fish & Marine Mammals
A Fishery Master Plan Case Study. HDR. October 6, 2023.
Crabbers rebound from Southwest Washington seafood facility fire. Katie Frankowicz, Oregon Public Broadcasting. January 30, 2024.
Other Wildlife
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife researchers will take to the skies to study moose population. Guy Tannenbaum, NBC NonStop Local. January 30, 2024.
Hells Canyon bighorn sheep test positive for lethal bacteria (press release). Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. January 31, 2024.
Other National & International Fish & Wildlife News
State Wildlife Reform
Judge finds parts of bill adding new hurdles for Montana ballot initiatives unconstitutional. Blair Miller, The Daily Montanan. February 6, 2024.
General Wildlife Management
No more prizes for killing ‘nuisance’ animals under these hunting contest bans. Alex Brown, Stateline. January 30, 2024.
Wolves
After millions in taxpayer money spent on anti-wolf lobbying, Utah lawmaker wants more oversight. Kyle Dunphy, Colorado Newsline. February 3, 2024.
Opinion: Wolves are back in Colorado’s wilderness. Here’s why that’s great for Earth. Jenna Lay, The Los Angeles Times. February 4, 2024.
Montana: Not enough resources to help Colorado’s wolf project. Darrell Ehrlick, Daily Montanan (via The Missoula Current).
Why We Misjudge Wolves, Bears, and Other Large Carnivores (interview with Dr. Gosia Bryja). Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today. January 26, 2024
What Can Americans Agree on? Wolves. Erica Berry, The New York Times. January 30, 2024.
Study finds Montanans are increasingly OK with wolves. Amanda Eggert, Montana Free Press. January 29, 2024.
Are Alaskan wolves targeting wolverines? Joshua Rapp Learn, The Wildlife Society. January 31, 2024.
Cougars
Letters to the Editor: Banned rodenticides are still for sale online. Can mountain lions survive? Merete Rietveld, The Los Angeles Times. January 31, 2024.
Other Wildlife
Wyoming’s latest coyote-killing plan results from brutal 2022-’23 winter. Mike Koshmrl, WyoFile. January 29, 2024.
On the Lighter Side
BREAKING NEWS: The Bearded Ranger HAS seen his shadow… [Facebook post]. Badlands National Park. February 2, 2024.