Vancouver Wildlife League meets March 7
The Vancouver Wildlife League will be holding its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 7 at the WDFW Region 5 office in Ridgefield.
The guest speaker will be JR Herzeman, the 1-Armed Bandit. He will be answering questions about spring Chinook fishing.
Recruitment underway for new director
OLYMPIA — The search is officially under way for a new director to lead the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission, a citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for WDFW, will choose the agency’s new director later this summer.
A job announcement and application instructions are posted on WDFW’s website. To be considered for the first round of interviews, applicants must submit an application by 5 p.m. Friday, March 30, to Personnel@dfw.wa.gov.
The new director is expected to begin work in August.
Dr. Brad Smith, chair of the commission, said the public can recommend candidates and provide input on the qualities the new director should have to be successful. Comments and recommendations can be submitted at commission@dfw.wa.gov.
Commissioners determined the search process and developed the job description during public discussions in January and February.
“The director of WDFW is certainly a challenging job,” Smith said. “Successfully carrying out a dual mission of preserving, protecting and perpetuating fish and wildlife while at the same time providing sustainable recreational and commercial opportunities is no easy task — especially in a diverse and unique state such as Washington.”
Former WDFW Director Dr. Jim Unsworth resigned in January after heading the department for three years. The commission appointed the department’s deputy director, Joe Stohr, as acting director.
The WDFW director oversees a 1,800-person staff and a biennial operating budget of $437 million. The position pays up to $170,352 annually.
Razor clam digs Friday, Saturday at Mocrocks
OLYMPIA — Clam diggers can make plans for a two-day razor clam dig on Washington’s coastal beaches starting this Friday.
State shellfish managers with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) approved the dig after marine toxin tests showed the clams are safe to eat.
“Friday and Saturday digs are very popular,” said Dan Ayres, WDFW’s coastal shellfish manager. “There’s no better way to start your weekend than to get out and enjoy digging a meal of fresh razor clams.”
The best digging typically occurs one to two hours before low tide, said Ayres, noting that digging is not allowed at any beach before noon.
Upcoming digs are scheduled on the following dates, beaches and low tides:
• March 2, Friday, 6:54 p.m.; -0.8 feet; Mocrocks
• March 3, Saturday, 7:34 p.m.; -0.3 feet; Mocrocks
Mocrocks is located between the Copalis River and the southern boundary of the Quinault Indian Reservation (just south of the Moclips River) and includes Iron Springs, Roosevelt Beach, Seabrook, Pacific Beach, and Moclips.
Under state law, diggers can take 15 razor clams per day and are required to keep the first 15 they dig. Each digger’s clams must be kept in a separate container.
All diggers age 15 or older must have an applicable 2017-18 fishing license to harvest razor clams on any beach. Licenses, ranging from a three-day razor clam license to an annual combination fishing license, are available on WDFW’s website at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov and from license vendors around the state.
