Bay wolf,

You are right on, and continue to be so. We'll see how WDFW does as the months click by until budget time during legislature. I have a tough time having WDFW as my alma matre, so to speak, and have it just suck so badly as an agency. Other state agencies consider WDFW "THE" example of how an agency should NOT be run. I have friends in high places who have retired from Ecology, US Forest Service, Revenue, etc., who can't believe how badly WDFW does (not) do their job. It makes for great cocktail talk, but that's all. My answer to WDFW not acting on issues that they should act on is "See you in Legislature!" It aint gonna be pretty.

Really, all WDFW needs to do is follow the law and their legislative mandate. Simple as that. Get tough and let the chips fall where they may. Let the biologists do biology, let the cops do the law, and then let the Commission do the politics. Politics within the department are happening at way too low a level. Get rid of the Regional Managers and go to a straight line of responsibility leading back to the director. Regional managers actually have no line function, anyway. WDFW is way too top heavy administratively. Fire the administrators who have gotten this agency to where it is today - failing! Years ago WDFW had the FRT responsibility stripped from them because they were doing such a poor job of collecting the fish taxes. The tax responsibility now is a function of the Department of Revenue. The landings reported on the FRT are still very important, but as Carcassman opined, garbage in is garbage out. I question the accuracy of the reported landings on some critical stocks. Over all I don't think catches are accurately reported, and that's why many critical stocks continue to decline. Read Todd Vandivert's book, Operation Cody, to get a handle on WDFW's game management to get a good idea of how that WDFW division is being under reported, etc. Fish is worse.