The state plans another round of budget cuts, and it doesn’t look pretty for anglers and shellfish gatherers unless Washington lawmakers can come up with a solution.
State Fish and Wildlife has announced proposals of cuts and reductions at the request of Governor Christine Gregoire.
The governor earlier this summer told all state agencies to look at possible cuts due to a shortfall that now has reached $2-billion. The Legislature plans to meet for a special session that begins in late November.
The governor informed state Fish and Wildlife to produce a five-percent ($3.45-million) and 10-percent ($6.9-million) budget cut scenarios in their operating budget.
State Fish and Wildlife has lost 41 percent of its General Fund Support (GFS) during this recession, dropping from $110 million in 2007-09 biennium to $69 million currently. GFS money is used for four primary types of activities fish production, recovery and fisheries management (41 percent); habitat conservation (21 percent); enforcement (20 percent); and administrative activities including executive management, infrastructure and staff-support functions (14 percent).
The proposed cuts include:
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