Fish and Wildlife chief calls it quits

By Chester Allen | The Olympian • Published December 02, 2008

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Jeff Koenings, who has been director of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife for 10 years, announced his resignation Monday evening.

Koenings will leave the department Dec. 11.

Koenings' resignation — or possible ouster — had been a hot rumor in the Fish and Wildlife Department and among state sport-fishing groups for two weeks.

The state Fish and Wildlife Commission met in a telephone conference call Monday night and voted to accept Koenings' resignation. It appointed deputy director Phil Anderson as interim director. Anderson has been deputy director for 18 months.

Commission chairman Jerry Gutzwiler said a nationwide search for a new director will start in 2009.

Commissioner George Orr was the only member to speak out against Koenings' resignation.

"I'd like to see Dr. Koenings stay here forever and ever, amen," Orr said during the conference call.

Koenings released a resignation statement before the Fish and Wildlife commission vote.

"In collaboration with many other resource managers and Washington citizens, I've accomplished much of what I said I would do when I became director 10 years ago," Koenings said in the news release.

"I'm proud of the progress we've made in creating a comprehensive, gravel-to-gravel system of stewardship for wild salmon, rebuilding relationships based on mutual trust with tribal resource co-managers, bringing a scientific focus to state fish and wildlife management, and improving the department's business practices."

However, many in the sport-fishing industry believe that Gov. Chris Gregoire turned up the heat on Koenings during a November interview on www.nwwildcountry.com.

Gregoire called for a greater sense of urgency within Fish and Wildlife to restore struggling salmon runs and recognize the value of sport fishing.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that anglers spent more than $1 billion in Washington in 2006.

What anglers say

Leaders of state sport-fishing groups said it is time for Koenings to go.

"I think most members of Puget Sound Anglers are looking forward to a change in policies at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife," said Jim Tuggle of Olympia, who is the state president for Puget Sound Anglers. "We don't know if we'll get new direction, but we might."

Many anglers believe that Koenings was weak on salmon conservation — and that he too often favored commercial fisherman at the expense of sport anglers — and on fish runs, Tuggle said.

Koenings refused to recognize the economic worth of sport fishing, and he was slow to create selective fishing seasons for marked hatchery salmon, said Tony Floor, Northwest Marine Trade Association director of fishing.

Selective fishing allows anglers to catch and keep hatchery fish while releasing wild fish.

Floor said anglers across Washington will keep a close watch on the search for a new Fish and Wildlife director.

"What we are asking for is a greater recognition of the economic benefits of recreational fishing," Floor said. "The value of sport fishing is so much greater than commercial fishing."

The new director should have strong convictions about fish conservation, and strong public relations skills, Tuggle said.

"Wild stocks in Washington have been in trouble for a long time," Tuggle said. "It will take some bold moves to start turning things around."