Fatal Drownings at Fish and Wildlife Lead to $200K Fines

Photo byMiguel A AmutioonUnsplash

The Washington Department of Labor & Industries announced on Tuesday it is fining the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department over $200,000 in fines for two incidents that killed one employee and sent another to the hospital.

According to L&I, Mary Valentine, a 48-year-old Fish and Wildlife scientific technician, drowned in January while working at a fish trap on the Duckabush River in Brinnon.

Two WDFW scientific technicians plunged into the water after their boat capsized at the Nisqually River fish trap near Yelm, L&I officials report further. The incident hospitalized one of them after he hit his head on the underside of the trap.

“We’re saddened by the loss of our fellow state workers, said Craig Blackwood, assistant director for L&I’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. “Employers have the duty to make sure workers recognize the hazards of their job and what they need to do to protect themselves. We hope these investigations help Fish and Wildlife to ensure a culture where all workers are trained to stay safe.”

Fish and Wildlife was previously fined in March for violations related to the drowning of 31-year-old fisheries biologist Erin Peterson in 2023 in Skamania County, according to L&I.

L&I investigators allege Fish and Wildlife failed to properly train its employees in each of the aforementioned incidents this year.

Fish and Wildlife was also cited for not providing or requiring the use of approved personal flotation devices, using rigging and straps that were damaged or improperly put together, and not training its workers to use chainsaws, the WDFW reports.

Penalties collected from a citation go toward the state's workers' compensation supplemental pension fund, according to L&I, to help injured workers and families of those who have died on the job.