WDFW seeks public input on northern pike plan

SPOKANE — The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has released a draft Interagency Northern Pike Rapid Response Plan that guides coordination and resources for species management, according to a Thursday announcement from the WDFW asking for public input. Species management includes preventing the spread of northern pike to new areas in Washington and developing long-term management plans for northern pike, the announcement said. The draft plan is undergoing a State Environmental Policy Act review; as part of that process, WDFW is asking members of the public for input. “This plan is important to conservation in our state as it maps out the response of WDFW and coordinating partners to a number of situations that could arise with the spread of northern pike,” Justin Bush, aquatic invasive species policy coordinator with WDFW, wrote in the announcement. “It will help to speed our response when timing is critical as partnering agencies and groups will already know their role and be prepared to respond.”