Contacts:
Emma Helverson, Wild Fish Conservancy, 484- 788-1174, [email protected]
John McMillan, The Conservation Angler, 360-797-3215, [email protected]
Brian Knutsen, Kampmeier & Knutsen PLLC, 503-841-6515, [email protected]
For Immediate Release
December 11, 2025
Seattle, Wash. — The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington has issued an order extending the deadline for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) to decide whether Olympic Peninsula steelhead warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The new deadline requires NOAA Fisheries to submit its 12-month finding to the Office of the Federal Register by January 13, 2026, extending the prior court-ordered deadline of December 1, 2025. The 43-day extension was granted by Judge John H. Chun to account for the recent lapse in federal appropriations (government shutdown).
“While we understand the delay, these iconic fish have already been waiting 854 days beyond the statutory deadline for a decision that will shape their future.” said John McMillan, President of the Conservation Angler.
In October 2024, NOAA released a status review report confirming that Olympic Peninsula steelhead are at moderate risk of extinction. Olympic Peninsula steelhead are a distinct population segment that occurs in the remote northwest corner of Washington State. Once numbering in the tens of thousands, these iconic fish have steadily declined throughout their range for decades due to commercial harvest, mismanaged recreational fisheries, hatchery operations, climate change, and legacy and contemporary effects from habitat degradation.
“The agency has already acknowledged these fish are at moderate risk of extinction” said Emma Helverson, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy. “We are grateful the court order gets the process back on track for a January decision. Olympic Peninsula steelhead cannot afford any more delays.”
The original lawsuit, filed in January 2025, challenged NOAA Fisheries’ failure to issue a timely decision on the organizations’ 2022 petition to list the species. At the time of the settlement, the agency’s determination was already over 700 days overdue.
The court’s order confirms the new January 13, 2026 deadline is commensurate with the duration of the lapse in federal appropriations.
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The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court of Washington. The Conservation Angler and Wild Fish Conservancy are represented by Kampmeier & Knutsen PLLC.
Wild Fish Conservancy is a nonprofit conservation organization headquartered in Washington State and working from California to Alaska to preserve, protect and restore the northwest’s wild fish and the ecosystems they depend on, through science, education, and advocacy.
The Conservation Angler fights for the protection of wild Pacific anadromous fish populations and their watersheds throughout the Pacific Northwest and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
