Washington officials are asking the public to test a new version of a mobile phone app that allows users to view fishing regulations for waterbodies across the state.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced in a news release Thursday that Fish Washington 2.0 is in the final stages of beta testing and is available for public download.
Those who download the new version can provide feedback to WDFW on the changes. Fish Washington 2.0 will officially launch this spring.
Fish Washington has been available since April 2018. It shows users a map of the state with rivers and lakes highlighted in blue. When users click on a specific waterbody, the app shows them the current regulations that govern it, including seasons and bag limits.
It is designed to provide anglers with up-to-the-minute fishing regulations for every waterbody in the state.
But users have had problems with the app over the years. Kelly Hall, a spokeswoman for WDFW, said there have been issues with the size of the app itself, connectivity and problems updating regulations, which have led to issues with compliance and rule enforcement.
The release said the app has been rewritten to address problems reported by users on both Apple and Android devices. It is half the size of the previous version and is designed to use less data and memory.
The maps have been upgraded, and the new version includes location-enabled US Geological Survey river gauges and tide charts.
The app can be downloaded via a QR code available on the WDFW website.
Feedback on the new app can be emailed to WDFW at [email protected].
