ELLENSBURG - The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted 2007-08 big game hunting season rules, modified crab catch reporting and approved land transactions at a public meeting April 6-7 in Ellensburg.

The nine-member commission, which sets policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), also took action or heard briefings on various other agenda items.


The commission modified the catch reporting system for Dungeness crab in Puget Sound with Internet reporting of recreational harvest and a requirement for reporting catch twice each season - once after the summer fishery and again after the fall fishery. The changes, endorsed by WDFW recreational and commercial crab advisory groups, are designed to reduce reliance on phone surveys to monitor the catch.