Fish enthusiasts and environmental stewards, take note: the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has called a virtual meeting to discuss a potential change in the harvesting guidelines for white sturgeon in Lake Roosevelt. Coming up on May 29, officials will present information on adjusting the slot limit, which is currently set to allow anglers to keep sturgeon in the 53-63 inches fork length range, according to the WDFW official website. The proposal would nudge the lower end up to 55 inches. This is an effort to balance the goals of supporting the fishery and protecting younger fish that have not thrived post-release.
The precision in the numbers is not arbitrary: the sturgeon produced from wild-caught larvae between 2011 and 2016 are now reaching the size where fishermen can legally catch them, the change in the slot limit aims to safeguard these specific cohorts of fish. In the words of WDFW's Eastern Region Fish Program manager Chris Donley, the agency has been inching toward more restrictive slot limits since 2023, he said in a statement that this is a step taken to "gradually tightening the slot limit." Attention to such detail signals a deep commitment to both the health of sturgeon populations and to the communities for whom fishing is not just recreation, but also a cultural stitch in the fabric of life along Lake Roosevelt.
The virtual hearing offers a platform for civic engagement where the public can listen to the rationale behind the proposal, ask questions, and voice their opinions. According to the agency's announcement, the briefing will commence at 6 p.m. on the evening of the hearing, and those who wish to participate should register in advance. But if you can't make the digital meeting — the Lake Roosevelt white sturgeon won't be the ones slipping through the net; WDFW has accommodated additional methods for individuals to submit their input through online forms, email, and even via voicemail until the very last minute of May 29.
