Giant Win for Wild Steelhead and All Endangered Species

With your help we rallied over 2,000 public comments resulting in a massive victory for wild steelhead! Yesterday, in what was a monumental decision, NOAA opted to conduct a full-scale environmental impact statement (EIS) for Puget Sound hatchery steelhead programs. This decision halts Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Chambers Creek hatchery steelhead releases for 2015. It also safeguards the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process for future decisions regarding wild steelhead, as well as all threatened & endangered species.  

A huge thanks to everyone who submitted comments and spread the word about this potentially harmful situation. The process worked—NOAA heard our collective concerns and made the right decision.  They couldn’t ignore the unified front or the mounting scientific evidence regarding Chambers Creek hatchery steelhead.

Our next steps are to ensure that NOAA develops a thorough and scientifically complete EIS. Thanks again for all of your efforts!