WA governor signs hunting, fishing fee increases into law; Discover Pass price also rising

Washington hunters and anglers will pay more money for their licenses starting this summer.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Saturday signed a new law that raises fees for nearly all hunting and fishing licenses by close to 40%.

Under the law, an annual resident combination fishing license will now cost $62.79. A big game hunting license that includes deer, elk, bear and cougar tags would cost a resident $117.30.

For nonresidents, the combination fishing license will cost just under $150 and the big game license will be just over $1,000.

The law goes into effect July 1.

It’s the first time hunting and fishing fees have increased since 2011.

While the new fees are expected to bring in more revenue for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, officials have said it won’t result in a net increase in its budget because of expected cuts to the agency’s share of the state general fund.

Most state agencies are facing cuts as part of the budget lawmakers sent to the governor this spring as they tried to manage a statewide budget shortfall.

License price hikes will help stave off deeper cuts for WDFW, but officials are still bracing for major changes, including cuts to several work programs and possible staff reductions.

Staci Lehman, a WDFW spokesperson, said agency officials are still working out many of the details of those cuts.

Also on Saturday, Ferguson signed a bill increasing the cost of a Discover Pass from $30 to to $45 starting Oct. 1. The pass is required for vehicle access to state parks and other state managed properties. Its price hasn’t been increased since the pass was put in place in 2011.

Most of the proceeds from the Discover Pass go toward Washington State Parks and make up a significant portion of the agency’s budget. Smaller amounts go to WDFW and the Department of Natural Resources.

Ferguson vetoed a section of the Discover Pass bill that would have ordered a work group to study funding mechanisms for the three agencies. In a letter explaining the veto, Ferguson wrote that the effort risked diverting limited funding from other important work at the three agencies.

Similar to WDFW, Washington State Parks officials don’t expect the price increase to provide a significant boost to the agency’s budget because of cuts in its general fund appropriations.