OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is offering “free fishing” days until August 30 after temporarily suspending the sale of licenses while investigating the vulnerability of its sale system.
Anglers are not required to have fishing licenses to fish or gather shellfish in open fishing waters in the state, according to Jim Unsworth, WDFW director. Anglers are also not required to have a vehicle pass to park at the nearly 700 water-access sites maintained by WDFW. Additionally, anglers are not required to complete a catch record card for salmon, steelhead, sturgeon or crab.
Crabbers will also not need a Puget Sound crab endorsement until all requirements are back in effect on August 31.
Hunters will have to wait to buy licenses until the system is restored, said Unsworth. The agency expects to have a sales channel available before the major hunting season kicks off in September.
Currently, the agency is working with Washington’s Officer of Cyber Security (OCS) as it investigates an outside vendor who was exploited in several states -- including Washington -- allowing access to some personal information provided by customers who purchased fishing and hunting licenses.
Lands managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources and Washington State Parks will still need a Discovery Pass for access.
Anglers can check current fishing regulations here.
