WDFW Seeks to Drop Endorsement Sunset Date

Washington wildlife officials propose removing the 2028 expiration on a fee that funds Columbia River salmon and steelhead monitoring.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Fishing

Wide view of the Columbia River between dark basalt cliffs, with a gravel bar, willows, and riffles on the water under low golden light. — Washington wildlife officials want to remove the January 2028 sunset on a $8.75 Columbia River salmon and steelhead endorsement that has raised more than $1 million to fund angler monitoring. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should Washington make the Columbia River salmon and steelhead fishing fee permanent?

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is proposing legislation to eliminate the January 1, 2028 sunset date for the Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement. The $8.75 endorsement fee has brought in more than $1 million through September and funds creel surveys across the Columbia River drainage.

Why it matters

Creel surveys are required under the Endangered Species Act to ensure anglers do not over-harvest federally protected salmon stocks. Without the monitoring effort, WDFW says it would have to further restrict or eliminate salmon and steelhead fishing opportunities in the Columbia.

The endorsement has raised more than $1 million through September against $1.2 million in annual revenue lost after its 2019 expiration. Lawmakers' decision on the sunset date is still pending.

The players

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

The state agency that manages fish and wildlife resources and proposed removing the endorsement's sunset date.

The details

The Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement, first established by the Legislature in 2009, applies to anglers targeting salmon and steelhead in the Columbia, Snake and their tributaries. Lawmakers reinstated it with a January 1, 2028 sunset after letting it lapse in 2019 and providing general fund money to replace lost revenue.

2009: The Legislature establishes the Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement.
2019: The endorsement is allowed to expire, and general fund money backfills the lost revenue.
January 1, 2028: The current endorsement sunset date takes effect.
2027 Legislature: Further budget cuts are expected amid the state shortfall.

Seasonal Patterns

The fishing restrictions tied to monitoring gaps follow a pattern seen since the Endangered Species Act listed Columbia Basin salmon stocks, where survey data has repeatedly shaped how many fish anglers may keep. The Skagit winter steelhead closure this year extends that pattern to Puget Sound tributaries.

Anglers targeting salmon and steelhead on the Columbia, Snake and their tributaries currently pay the $8.75 endorsement fee. If the sunset date is removed, the endorsement would continue funding monitoring without a 2028 lapse.

The takeaway

Anglers who fish the Columbia and its tributaries should watch whether the endorsement is extended, since its monitoring funding shapes which fishing days remain open.

What happens next

Lawmakers will consider the proposal in the coming legislative session, and the Skagit River is expected to be closed to winter steelhead fishing next year.