[7] WDFW Director Koenings Resigns

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife director Jeff Koenings announced Dec.1 that he will resign, effective Dec. 11. He has headed the agency head for 10 years, coming from a position at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

"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. "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."

Lately, Koenings led negotiations with Canada over a 10-year agreement that will reduce interception of chinook bound for the Lower 48 by BC and Alaska commercial fishers.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission appointed long-time WDFW staffer Phil Anderson, to take over as interim director. Anderson has been the department's deputy director for resource policy since July 2007. Anderson also serves as the department's representative to the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC). In that role, Anderson heads up the North of Falcon process, which sets annual salmon-fishing seasons for marine waters including Puget Sound and the coast. Anderson is a resident of Westport who joined the WDFW staff in 1994. -B. R.

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