Victor Garcia, a hunter, fisherman and retired teacher who was appointed to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in April 2025, has died . (Photo courtesy of Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Victor Garcia, an educator, hunter and fisherman appointed to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission last year, has died.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife announced his death Monday. No cause was provided.
“Commissioner Garcia loved this state, and cared deeply for fish and wildlife,” said Commission Chair Jim Anderson. “He was ready to do the hard work, and he will be missed.”
Kelly Susewind, director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, said in a statement that Garcia “leaves a lasting legacy from his work on the commission to care for the fish, wildlife, and wild spaces that he was so passionate about.”
Garcia, of Skagit County, was named to the commission in April 2025 amid ongoing tensions pitting conservationists and environmentalists against hunting and fishing groups over membership of the nine-member citizen panel.
Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed Garcia at the same time that he reappointed Anderson and Commissioner Molly Linville. He acted months after rejecting two nominees of his predecessor, Jay Inslee, who some environmental groups had embraced.
Hunters and fishers endorsed Anderson and Linville and appreciated the selection of Garcia.
“Incredibly sad news. Commissioner Garcia was a steady presence in the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission,” the Sportsmen’s Alliance, a national voice for the hunting community, said in a statement.
Garcia, a native of Grays Harbor County, taught math, biology and other science courses in Washington schools before retiring. He earned a bachelor’s degree in marine zoology from the University of Washington and a master’s in science education from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
In an interview with the Standard last year, he described himself as having a wide variety of interests in the outdoors and suggested it would give him a unique perspective as a commissioner.
“I’m a hunter, but I’m also in Audubon,” he said at the time. “I’ve gone all over the world to view specific birds. But, every now and then, I do hunt some of them.”
Before becoming an educator, Garcia was a commercial fisherman in the Bering Sea region and worked as a biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Garcia’s term runs through December 2030. He held one of the panel’s western Washington seats. It will be up to Ferguson to name a replacement.
Source: Washington State Standard
This article was originally published by Washington State Standard.
