Washington State Department Of Fish & Wildlife

Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW), a state government agency operating as a recipient of federal grants and a prime contractor, delivers wildlife conservation, fisheries management, habitat restoration, and species recovery services to the federal government across 39 customer agencies. The agency operates as a pure recipient on federal grants and holds a small portfolio of federal contracts; WDFW does not compete under set-aside categories and operates in full-and-open competition. WDFW is a child entity of the Washington Department of Public Instruction.

WDFW's concrete capability portfolio centers on fish and wildlife population monitoring, hatchery operations producing approximately 150 million juvenile salmon smolts annually, habitat restoration and protection, invasive species management and control, ecosystem recovery for endangered species, law enforcement and patrol services, and scientific data collection and analysis. Recent representative work includes a $2.3 million definitive contract with the Army Corps of Engineers (awarded April 2026) for fall Chinook fish production at Ringold Springs Hatchery through December 2028; a $4.5 million Corps contract (July 2024) for urban fall Chinook fish production at Priest Rapids Hatchery through June 2027 under sole-source justification based on National Marine Fisheries Service Biological Opinion requirements; a $954 thousand NOAA contract (June 2024) for salmonid consumption rate estimates and genetic stock identification of harbor seals in Puget Sound through October 2026; and a $619 thousand Bureau of Reclamation law enforcement patrol contract (June 2025) covering the Ephrata Field Office across Adams, Franklin, Grant, and Okanogan Counties running through May 2030. WDFW also operates 80 fish screens statewide and manages 33 wildlife areas and nearly 500 water access sites serving recreational and conservation purposes.

Federal customer concentration is high but distributed across a large agency base. The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service and its regional offices anchor the award count (333 awards for DOI FWS and 330 for DOI FWS Region 1, combined potential value $372 thousand across both), reflecting formula grant funding for Sport Fish Restoration (CFDA 15.605) and State Wildlife Grants (CFDA 15.634) programs. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration places 254 awards ($3.7 million potential value) dominated by Pacific Salmon Treaty Program (CFDA 11.438) project and implementation grants. However, by dollar magnitude, the Army Corps of Engineers dominates: the Walla Walla District and Portland District combined carry $17.8 million in potential value across 16 awards, reflecting the hatchery production work critical to regional Chinook salmon recovery. FEMA Headquarters carries 34 awards tied to disaster recovery sub-grants passed through the state.

WDFW's grant footprint far exceeds its contract footprint. The agency is a primary recipient under multiple DOI and NOAA grant programs covering Sport Fish Restoration formula grants ($23.9 million for FY2025–2026 alone), Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education (CFDA 15.611, $2.67 million for FY2025–2026), State Wildlife Grants (CFDA 15.634, recurring annual allocations), Pacific Salmon Treaty Program (CFDA 11.438, multiple awards totaling $5.66 million and $1.97 million in recent project grants), and Marine Mammal Data Program (CFDA 11.439, $133 thousand for FY2025–2026). WDFW also receives grants under the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (CFDA 15.631), Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.615), and Fish and Aquatic Conservation—Aquatic Invasive Species (CFDA 15.608). Specific recent grants include a $23.9 million Sport Fish Restoration award for wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, hunter education, and hatchery operations (FY2025–2026); a $1.98 million Sport Fish Restoration formula grant for steelhead and salmon population management (FY2025–2026); a $1.33 million NOAA Marine Mammal Data Program award for marine mammal stranding response capabilities (effective November 2025); and a $900 thousand Bureau of Reclamation Recreation Resources Management grant (CFDA 15.524) for vegetation control at the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area over five years (October 2025–September 2030). WDFW also holds sub-recipient awards passed through via the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission for groundfish monitoring, albacore port sampling, and sea lion predation management in the Columbia River Basin.

Activity has remained steady at 60–77 awards annually over the past five years, with 1,260 total awards in the source data spanning from 1994 to September 2026. SCI-reported service contract invoicing is negligible (0 dollars in FY2024 and FY2025), reflecting that most WDFW federal activity flows through grants rather than service contracts above the SCI reporting threshold. Approximately 37 awards (combined potential value $5.9 million) complete within the next 24 months, creating recompete opportunity, particularly for Sport Fish Restoration and Pacific Salmon Treaty implementation grants subject to annual or multi-year renewal.