Action timeline

August 18, 1997 – The National Marine Fisheries Service listed central California coast steelhead as a threatened species. The Service ignored its duty to designate critical habitat.

1999 – The Center organized a coalition of eight conservation and fishing groups that sued the Fisheries Service for failure to designate critical habitat and to issue protective regulations for west coast steelhead and salmon populations.

February 16, 2000 – The Fisheries Service designated critical habitat for central California coast steelhead and 18 other West Coast salmonid populations. It also published protective regulations for West Coast steelhead that prevent illegal "take" of central California coast steelhead.

July 10, 2000 – The Service published protective regulations for listed West Coast salmon and steelhead populations.

April 2002 – Critical habitat protections were withdrawn when the Bush administration refused to defend the Service against a lawsuit brought by the National Association of Home Builders.

December 10, 2004 – The Service agreed to consider re-establishing the habitat protections after a lawsuit by a coalition of environmental and fishing groups, including the Center.

September 2, 2005 – Critical habitat was re-designated, but severely reduced.

January 5, 2006 – The Service reaffirmed the threatened status of central California coast steelhead, but arbitrarily excluded resident and juvenile fish from the listed populations.