This bill adds a new section to chapter 77.95 RCW that requires the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to maintain production of anadromous hatchery fish when hatcheries close. If a hatchery closes, the department is prohibited from reducing production of any anadromous fisheries stock and must offset the lost production by increasing production at other facilities. The change is an operational mandate on the department rather than a criminal or penalty provision; it creates a new statutory duty (labeled in the text as "NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.") rather than amending an existing penalty scheme. The bill was read for the first time in the Senate on 01/19/2026. The extracted text does not include definitions for terms such as "anadromous fisheries stock," "production," or "closure," does not specify the exact placement within chapter 77.95 RCW beyond the new section label, and does not provide details on measurement, which other facilities qualify to offset production, funding, enforcement mechanisms, timelines, or whether the requirement applies to nonstate or partner-operated hatcheries.

If enacted, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife would be required to keep the same overall output of hatchery-raised anadromous fish even when individual hatcheries close, by boosting production at other hatchery facilities. In practice this means the department will need to reassign production tasks, increase capacity at remaining hatcheries, or otherwise change operations to replace lost numbers of fish, which is likely to raise operational complexity and costs for the department and for governments that run hatcheries. Who is most affected: WDFW and local governments operating hatcheries, plus the hatchery programs and facilities that would take on extra production. Their responsibilities would increase and they may need more staff, equipment, space, or coordination. The law as drafted leaves key details unclear—how production is measured, what counts as an adequate offset, which facilities qualify, whether nonstate hatcheries are covered, and where money or enforcement would come from—so those practical impacts and any new costs or risks depend on answers to those missing implementation details.