Following a lawsuit filed by a coalition of conservation groups, a U.S. district court has set deadlines for NOAA Fisheries to determine whether some Chinook salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest should be protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
NOAA Fisheries must now make a decision on Oregon Coast and Southern Oregon/Northern California coastal Chinook by 3 November 2025 and on Washington coast spring-run Chinook by 2 January 2026.
“This is an important victory for these icons of the Pacific Northwest and brings them one step closer to lifesaving ESA protections,” Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) Legal Fellow Jeremiah Scanlan said in a release. “The government has taken far too long deciding whether to protect these imperiled Chinook salmon, but these deadlines will hold officials accountable.”
The court-approved agreement comes ...
