Hunters, anglers and tribes see win in Ferguson's Fish and Wildlife Commission picks

Hunters, anglers, and a bloc of 20 tribes in western Washington are among those pleased with three nominees Gov. Bob Ferguson announced this week for the state’s Fish and Wildlife Commission.

In January, shortly after he took office, Ferguson halted two nominations former Gov. Jay Inslee made to the commission, including the reappointment of Tim Ragen, a retired marine mammal expert who had served as the panel’s vice chair since last year and had strong support from wildlife protection groups.

Though Ferguson removed him from the nine-member commission, Ragen remained in the running for the job alongside 13 other eligible candidates, but the governor ultimately cut him loose. And he nixed Inslee’s other nominee — Lynn O’Connor, who operated a sign company in northeast Washington for two decades and was a former park aide and ranger.

Instead, he reappointed two commissioners — Jim Anderson and Molly Linville, who O’Connor would have replaced. Both Anderson and Linville are backed by hunting and fishing groups and a coalition of tribes that support hatchery fish production. Some environmental groups in Washington oppose fish hatcheries, pointing to evidence that they are a threat to wild fish populations.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/04/10/hunters-anglers-and-tribes-see-win-in-fergusons-fish-and-wildlife-commission-picks/