OUTDOORS: Water-repellant paper shortage forces quicker switch to mobile fishing/hunting licenses

Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 2, 2026

GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN interruptions aren’t something a fisherman usually has to deal with, unless you are a halibut or salmon angler looking for medium-sized, green-label herring in season.

But state anglers, shrimpers, crabbers and others who have yet to purchase a new license will quickly deal with a whole new reality.

Due to a global shortage of petroleum-based materials, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and its 600 license dealer locations will no longer sell waterproof, tear-resistant licensing paper as early as May 13.

While customer experiences may vary across license dealers, in the interim, customers may find that dealers are running low or out of this style of petroleum-based licensing paper entirely.

As early as May 13, customers won’t be able to buy waterproof, tear-resistant licensing documents any longer. Customers will be able to print licensing documents on standard printer paper at home or at a license dealer location.

Alternatively, customers can select to become a mobile license holder and use the new MyWDFW mobile licensing application. Fish and Wildlife’s licensing division said nearly 100,000 license customers already have made the shift to mobile licensing.

How to enroll as mobile license holder:

• Log in to fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov.

• Verify your Washington Interactive Licensing Database (WILD) licensing account.

•  Select “Mobile License Holder” for the 2026-2027 license year. If you select this option, you will use mobile licenses only for the 2026-2027 license year.

•  Download the MyWDFW app from Google Play or the Apple App Store.

• Log in to the MyWDFW app using your WILD username and password.

Mobile issues

There are service issues and dead spots even with the best cellular and data provider available on the North Olympic Peninsula: Eaglemount, Lake Crescent, the road to the Hoh Rainforest and much of the Sol Duc Valley. With rules and regulations requiring anglers to immediately record their catches, there will likely be some cell service issues. I would hope Fish and Wildlife’s Law Enforcement division leans heavily on warnings during this transition period.

The department also is aware of a system issue preventing mobile licensing customers from printing their Vehicle Access Pass and is working with its vendor to resolve both issues.

In the meantime, the department advises customers can write their confirmation number and license plate number on a piece of paper and place it on their dashboard, visible from outside the vehicle.

To help protect their information, mobile customers must have a passcode or biometrics (like face identification or fingerprint functionality) enabled on their phone to use the MyWDFW mobile application. The application also features two-factor authentication, which is a process that requires a user to provide two distinct forms of identification to sign in.

For more information about the MyWDFW mobile app, email appsupport@dfw.wa.gov or call 360-902-2464, option 1.

Anderson Lake toxins

Anderson Lake has been closed to water-based recreational activities after Jefferson County Public Health staff took a water sample on April 27 and the results showed that elevated levels of the potent nerve toxin anatoxin-a were present.

Test results showed the toxin level is more than 200 times higher than the state recreational criteria. Exposure to anatoxin-a can result in illness and death in people and animals when ingested, even in tiny amounts.

State Parks has posted “Danger — Keep Out of Lake” signs at access points to the park alerting visitors of the hazard.

Water-based recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and swimming are prohibited until the bloom dissipates and the toxin levels decline. Anderson Lake State Park remains open for other recreational activities such as horseback riding, hiking, biking, and birdwatching.