Press Releases

Press Releases

Harvesting immature Chinook is shrinking salmon and reducing future returns, new research finds

A new study by researchers at the Wild Fish Conservancy and Raincoast Conservation Foundation has found that marine salmon fisheries along the Pacific coast typically harvest Chinook too early in their life cycle, before they reach their full size as adults. The implications from this are far reaching for fisheries, future Chinook runs, and the ecosystem.

June 10, 2026 No Comments

Press Releases

While Orcas and Salmon Declined, Ocean Harvests of Puget Sound Chinook Were Significantly Underestimated for Decades

Newly revised data released by Canada at the Pacific Salmon Commission shows that for more than two decades ocean fisheries have killed thousands more Endangered Species Act-listed Puget Sound Chinook salmon each year than previously reported.

June 10, 2026 No Comments

Press Releases

NOAA Fisheries Fails to Provide Federal Protections for Gulf of Alaska Chinook

Today, under the pressure of a federal court order, the National Marine Fisheries Service released its long-overdue 12-month finding on Wild Fish Conservancy’s petition to protect Gulf of Alaska Chinook under the Endangered Species Act. The finding concludes protections for Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon are “not warranted” at this time despite documented widespread declines in Chinook abundance, size, and productivity throughout the region.

May 14, 2026 No Comments

Press Releases

Washington State’s Landmark Net Pen Aquaculture Ban Protected in Victory for Clean Water and Aquatic Ecosystems

A Washington State court issued an order upholding the State’s historic ban on commercial finfish net pen aquaculture. The state court granted a motion from aquaculture industry petitioners to dismiss their lawsuit contesting the ban, marking the end of their efforts to overturn one of the strongest protections for marine waters in the United States.

March 31, 2026 No Comments

Press Releases

As Alaskan Chinook Crisis Deepens, Federal Court Imposes Deadline on Overdue Endangered Species Act Decision

Contact:Emma Helverson, Wild Fish Conservancy, (484) 788-1174, emma@wildfishconservancy.orgBrian Knutsen, Kampmeier & Knutsen PLLC, (503) 841-6515, brian@kampmeierknutsen.com For Immediate ReleaseMarch 10, 2026PDF Version WASHINGTON, D.C.— The

March 10, 2026 No Comments

News & Announcements

Statement from Wild Fish Conservancy and The Conservation Angler on Federal 12-Month Endangered Species Act Finding for Olympic Peninsula Steelhead

Today, federal government issued its 12-month finding on the petition to list Olympic Peninsula steelhead under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA determined that Olympic Peninsula steelhead qualify as a distinct population segment under the ESA and acknowledged long-term population declines, reduced productivity, and substantial uncertainty, but concluded that listing is not warranted at this time.

January 13, 2026 No Comments

News & Announcements

Federal Court Extends Deadline for Endangered Species Act Decision on Olympic Peninsula Steelhead

Contacts: Emma Helverson, Wild Fish Conservancy, 484- 788-1174, emma@wildfishconservancy.orgJohn McMillan, The Conservation Angler, 360-797-3215, john.mcmillan@theconservationangler.orgBrian Knutsen, Kampmeier & Knutsen PLLC, 503-841-6515, brian@kampmeierknutsen.com For Immediate Release

December 11, 2025 No Comments

Press Releases

Environmental Advocates Sue Again to Protect Wild Salmon, Steelhead, and Orcas from Harmful Columbia River Hatcheries, as Feds Concede New Management Plan is Inadequate

After years of warnings and repeated Endangered Species Act violations, Wild Fish Conservancy and The Conservation Angler have filed a new federal lawsuit challenging NOAA Fisheries for once again failing to protect these species from ongoing harm caused by Columbia River hatcheries.

December 1, 2025 No Comments

Press Releases

Conservation Advocates Serve Notice of Intent to Sue Over Feds Continued Failure to Protect Wild Salmon, Steelhead, and Orcas from Harmful Columbia River Hatcheries

Contacts:Emma Helverson, Wild Fish Conservancy, 484-788-1174, emma@wildfishconservancy.orgJohn McMillan, The Conservation Angler, 360-797-3215, john.mcmillan@theconservationangler.orgBrian Knutsen, Kampmeier & Knutsen PLLC, 503-841-6515, brian@kampmeierknutsen.com For Immediate ReleaseSeptember 12, 2025PDF

September 12, 2025 No Comments

Press Releases

Media Statement on Intervention in Northwest Aquaculture Alliance v. Washington State Department of Natural Resources

In August 2017, a devastating net pen aquaculture collapse at a facility maintained by Cooke Aquaculture in Puget Sound released an estimated 260,000 non-native and

July 25, 2025 No Comments

Press Releases

Legal Settlement Reached for Endangered Species Act Decision Deadline for Olympic Peninsula Steelhead

Wild Fish Conservancy and The Conservation Angler reached a settlement agreement with NOAA Fisheries establishing a deadline requiring the agency to issue its long-overdue finding on whether Olympic Peninsula steelhead warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.

July 16, 2025 No Comments

Press Releases

Conservation Groups Sue Over Aquaculture Pollution of Columbia River

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 2, 2025 Pacific Seafoods’ so-called “sustainable” fish farming facilities in violation of Clean Water Act permits daily since at least

July 8, 2025 No Comments

Press Releases

Lawsuit Seeks Overdue Federal Decision on ESA Protections for Alaskan Chinook Salmon in Peril

Wild Fish Conservancy filed suit against NOAA Fisheries for failing to meet essential legal deadlines under the Endangered Species Act and delaying federal protections to at-risk Alaskan Chinook salmon.

May 8, 2025 No Comments

Press Releases

Legal Action Targets Feds Delay on Endangered Species Act Protections for Alaska Chinook Amid Worst Returns in History

Wild Fish Conservancy notified NOAA Fisheries of its intent to sue for failing to meet legal deadlines under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and delaying federal protections to at-risk Alaskan Chinook salmon.

February 7, 2025 No Comments

Press Releases

Lawsuit Filed Over Delay of Federal Protections for Olympic Peninsula Steelhead

The Conservation Angler and Wild Fish Conservancy filed suit against NOAA Fisheries for delaying Endangered Species Act protections for Olympic Peninsula steelhead.

January 23, 2025 No Comments

Press Releases

Washington Makes History by Successfully Removing and Permanently Banning Net Pen Aquaculture, Securing Puget Sound for Future Generations

This week, we are celebrating a monumental environmental victory for Puget Sound’s ecosystems, Washington Tribal Nations, and the protection of our iconic wild salmon and Southern Resident orcas. On Tuesday, Washington State made history, becoming the first—and only—place in the world to successfully remove and permanently ban commercial net pen aquaculture.

January 9, 2025 No Comments

News & Announcements

Washington State Poised to Set Precedent as First Government in the World to Successfully Remove and Permanently Ban Commercial Net Pen Aquaculture

Washington State recently garnered international attention for its successful removal of all polluting and hazardous commercial net pens from Puget Sound. Now, the state is on the verge of adopting a statute that would prohibit this commercial industry from ever returning to Puget Sound.

December 12, 2024 No Comments

Press Releases

Lawsuit Launched to Protect Olympic Peninsula Steelhead

The Conservation Angler and Wild Fish Conservancy recently notified the National Marine Fisheries Services of their intent to sue NMFS for failing to protect Olympic Peninsula steelhead under the federal Endangered Species Act.

November 8, 2024 No Comments

Press Releases

Victory! Court Holds Unlawful Federal Government Decision That Greenlit Industrial Fish Farming in Ocean Waters

The U.S. Federal Court for the Western District of Washington ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers'(Corps) approval of Nationwide Permit 56 (NWP 56)—which authorizes industrial finfish aquaculture structures in federal ocean waters around the country—was unlawful.

October 2, 2024 No Comments

News & Announcements

Joint Statement from Wild Fish Conservancy and The Conservation Angler on Mitchell Act and SAFE Hatchery program Settlement with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

WFC, The Conservation Angler, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife agree to settlement in Endangered Species Act lawsuit over lower Columbia River hatchery programs that are harming wild fish recovery.

September 26, 2024 No Comments

Press Releases

Certifier Pulls Sustainable Recommendation for Southeast Alaska Fisheries to Protect Dwindling Salmon and Endangered Orcas

In a groundbreaking decision, Canadian seafood certifier Ocean Wise announced they can no longer recommend salmon caught in Southeast Alaska fisheries as ‘sustainable’. The delisting responds to concerns over the impact of the region’s fisheries on endangered Southern Resident orcas and at-risk salmon populations from rivers coastwide.

July 16, 2024 No Comments

News & Announcements

After Chronic Decline, Feds Agree Alaskan Chinook May Require Protection under the Endangered Species Act

NOAA Fisheries announced a somber, yet significant milestone in the effort to protect dwindling Alaskan Chinook. After reviewing a formal petition to list Alaskan Chinook populations as ‘threatened’ or ‘endangered’, the federal agency has made the first ever positive finding for Alaskan-born salmon under the Endangered Species Act.

May 24, 2024 No Comments

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