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Washington Legislature considering raising hunting, fishing fees

A sign directs hunters to a check station on Oct. 13 near Asotin, Wash. A bill moving through the Washington State Legislature poses to raise fees for most hunting and fishing licenses by nearly 40%. If the bill passes, it will not only raise prices for residents and nonresidents but increase the fees and upwork required by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. (MICHAEL WRIGHT/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
A sign directs hunters to a check station on Oct. 13 near Asotin, Wash. A bill moving through the Washington State Legislature poses to raise fees for most hunting and fishing licenses by nearly 40%. If the bill passes, it will not only raise prices for residents and nonresidents but increase the fees and upwork required by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. (MICHAEL WRIGHT/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Michael Wright michaelw@spokesman.com(509) 459-5508

The wallets of hunters and anglers would take a hit under a bill moving through the Washington Legislature.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, cleared the Senate last week and was heard in the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday. It would raise fees for nearly all hunting and fishing licenses by about 38%.

Resident combination fishing licenses would go from about $46 to about $63. A resident deer and elk license would increase from about $85 to $103. Nonresidents would find themselves paying north of $500 just for a deer license.

It would also give the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission authority to add surcharges to the fees every other year, and it would tweak the way license money is distributed to accounts for warmwater fisheries and pheasant enhancement.

The bill narrowly cleared the Senate last week and was heard by the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday.

Supporters see it as a measure that gives the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife secure funding in the face of statewide budget problems. But some hunters and anglers have been critical, saying the increase is too much all at once.

Fees from hunting and fishing licenses fund the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. If signed into law, the bill would increase those fees for the first time since 2011.

In a statement, Liias said that means fees haven’t kept up with “the rising costs of caring for the wild, scenic places that make Washington the gem of the Northwest.

“As the son and grandson of hunters and fishers, I understand the impacts this adjustment will have, but we must take care of our lands and waters,” Liias said.

Legislative staff estimate the bill would raise $19.5 million every two years. It wouldn’t lead to a net increase in the agency’s budget, legislative staffer Dan Jones said during a hearing Thursday, but instead would shift some of the burden of funding the agency away from the state’s general fund.

That’s been a target for lawmakers this session as they search for ways to deal with the state’s $12 billion budget shortfall.

Brian Henderson, a longtime Washington resident who spoke at the House Appropriations Committee hearing Thursday, said the bill would be hard on families struggling to make ends meet, particularly alongside proposed increases to Discover Pass fees and property taxes.

“They’re an attack on our most vulnerable residents,” Henderson said.

Dan Wilson, the Spokane-based co-chair for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said his group would have been happier with the bill if it phased in the increase rather than forcing hunters to eat the full 38% at once.

He also pointed out that many hunters are concerned with the way WDFW and the Fish and Wildlife Commission are managing wildlife.

“This bill raises fees on a constituency that already feels increasingly disenfranchised in wildlife management,” Wilson said.

He also said they recognize there’s a need for increased revenue for WDFW in the face of statewide budget cuts.

“WDFW needs sustainable funding,” Wilson said. “Costs have outpaced revenue, and inaction will deepen budget cuts.”

Nello Picinich, of the Coastal Conservation Association, said his group understands that an increase is likely inevitable, but that they also believe it would be better to phase the increase in over a few years. He also argued that the Legislature shouldn’t give the commission authority to add surcharges to license fees.

No speaker at the meeting signaled full support of the bill, but two WDFW officials signed in online as supporters, along with representatives of Conservation Northwest and the Methow Valley Citizens Council.

Trout Unlimited is also backing the bill. Alexei Calambokidis, the organization’s Washington state policy lead, said in an interview after the hearing that the fee increases could help insulate WDFW from the state’s budget crisis.

The bill won’t prevent budget cuts, he said, but the cuts might not be as deep if license revenue increases.

He also said increases are simply overdue. Inflation means everything WDFW does has become more expensive, but hunters and anglers have been paying the same rates for well over a decade.

“This seems like a big increase, but this fee hasn’t moved since (2011),” Calambokidis said. “It really is just a right-sizing.”

The House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote on the bill Saturday.

On Thursday, the committee passed Senate Bill 5390, which would raise the cost of a Discover Pass to $45 annually.