Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Logo of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1994 |
| Preceding agencies |
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| Jurisdiction | State of Washington |
| Headquarters | Natural Resources Building, Olympia, Washington, U.S. 47°02′14″N 122°53′52″W / 47.03722°N 122.89778°W |
| Employees | approx. 2,250 (2024) |
| Annual budget | $723.8 million (2023-25) |
| Agency executive |
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| Key document | |
| Website | wdfw |
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is a department of the government of the state of Washington, established in 1994.
The WDFW manages over a million acres of land, the bulk of which is generally open to the public, and 475 water access sites. Many of the sites are termed "wildlife areas" and permit hunting during the hunting season, typically in the autumn and early winter for birds, but all year round for coyotes. Due to declining participation, the department has a hunter and angler recruitment, retention and reactivation plan. A Discover Pass is required to park in the wildlife areas.
WDFW is headquartered in Olympia, Washington and has 6 regional offices in Washington. In 2024, the agency collected approximately $59 million and $6.6 million from the sales of recreational and commercial licenses, respectively.