Things that make ya go Ummmmm?

How many of you have seen this?

Let's Fully Fund WDFW Petition

Many of the organizations that have signed on to this are predictable.

Any input on what the Budget and Policy Group (BPAG) was or is?

Thanks for posting that Bay wolf. Yes, I saw it a week or two ago. All I can say is that just because WDFW has snookered 45 organizations into pissing away millions of dollars in public funds doesn't make it right. Occasionally the majority is wrong.

Fully funding a state agency to conform with its confirmation bias without any kind of objective performance audit pretty well assures that public funds will be misspent and wasted. I still want WDFW to explain why it is in the public interest for them to spend $93 million in public funds to raise hatchery salmon for Canada, commercial, and treaty fishing other than to respond with, ". . . well we have many diverse obligations . . ." How's about a benefit : cost audit that tells the public what they're getting for their money, for starters? And the list could go on and on.

Noticed that the State Board for Puget Sound Anglers in on that signatures list. Just curious if this was a consensus decision from its membership?

There's no denying that as costs of doing business increase (they do constantly), it becomes increasingly insolvent to deliver the same level of service without more capital (revenue in the government context) invested. From that perspective, WDFW certainly needs more money from us on occasion. Under the right circumstances, most of us would be more willing to pony up.

To Salmo g.'s point, years of only shrinking opportunity doesn't generate much customer appetite to provide the investment necessary. Over time, it becomes an untenable situation seeking a quid for a quo that is never delivered. It's not entirely WDFW's fault, but their management certainly hasn't behaved like they're trying very hard to convince us they are worthy of the investment. It's a vicious cycle, to be sure....

I agree but that doesn't mean you "create new positions" and continue to not have a hiring freeze.

I'm now on the "fixed income" part of my life.....just thankful that there are no house, car, or other large payments. The normal monthly payments are on the ever increase, with limited benefit to me......and NO WAY to freeze them without losing what I already have.....grrrrrrrrrrr

Relying on license sales in the current environment is a recipe for continued animosity and decreased (albeit often ineffective) support of what we love. I think tapping the general fund is one of the only ways forward for it to remain solvent.

I understand folks' sentiment to want a complete defund/teardown/re-org midstream, in terms of how WDFW does business, but it just doesn't seem like a reasonable plan A right now,

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The slope is slippery. Moving to GFS removes/reduces the direct input of the consumptive user.

I started out in WDG, pretty much entirely fee-based. And was made clear from day 1 that we worked for the license holders. Our job was to provide them with fish to catch. Conservation was somewhat secondary to harvest.

I moved to WDF, they were GFS-based. I think, back then, that their licenses were free. In any case, the mindset my workgroup had was that the escapement goal was sacrosanct. IF we met or exceeded it then we would preserve fisheries. We had this mindset because we were employed by the whole State, just not the users.

WDFW needs major help interns of funding, not only the sources but the amounts. They need a wholesale change in management paradigms and accountability.

I am not for simply giving this group more money and hoping (as Sen. Collins said) "they learned their lesson". We need a reasonable idea of how to get the change we need accomplished.

Interesting perspective, as usual from you, thank you for your contributions here. I would be fine with conservation-first, harvest (evenly shared) second. I'm just one user though.

It seems like it would be good for the whole populace to have some skin in the game in terms of funding. DFW is in the whale-feeding business. Everybody loves a good whale. I mean, have you seen how cute those things are?

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I believe more funding is needed from the Feds. A significant percentage of the impacts has already been taken by the federal government, offshore and treaties.

The managers also fail to see how offshore MSY take of forage also effects things up the food chain.