PORTLAND, Ore.— The Center for Biological Diversity and allies today secured court-ordered deadlines requiring the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine whether spring-run Chinook salmon in Oregon, Washington and Northern California warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The Service must decide by Nov. 3, 2025, for Oregon Coast and southern Oregon/Northern California coastal Chinook salmon and by Jan. 2, 2026, for Washington coast spring-run Chinook salmon. Protecting the salmon would also help the imperiled Southern Resident orcas, who feed on the fish.

“This is an important victory for these icons of the Pacific Northwest and brings them one step closer to lifesaving Endangered Species Act protections,” said Jeremiah Scanlan, a legal fellow at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The government has taken far too long deciding whether to protect these imperiled Chinook salmon, but these deadlines will hold officials accountable.”

“This agreement requires a decision that is already overdue,” said Michael Morrison, chair of Pacific Rivers. “Science and law are crystal clear. These unique and endangered salmon urgently need and deserve protection.”

Chinook salmon, also known as “king salmon,” are the largest of all Pacific salmon.

Early returning, or “spring-run” fish, are ecologically essential to the overall health of coastal Chinook populations and the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. Once abundant, Chinook salmon populations are now threatened by habitat destruction from logging and road construction, water diversions, interbreeding with hatchery-raised fish, overharvest in commercial fisheries and dams obstructing their return migrations.

“King salmon are not just icons, they’re indicators of the health of the Pacific Ocean and Northwest ecosystems,” said Mark Sherwood, Native Fish Society’s executive director. “We’re eager to see NMFS’s overdue decision, so we can take the next step in this determined effort to revive these fish and the habitats that sustain us all to health and natural abundance.”

“Over the past 20 years I've personally watched this population decline, and we only had 28 spawners return in 2018,” said Stanley Petrowski from Umpqua Watersheds. “The threats to this magnificent keystone species have lurked in the shadows for decades. This settlement recognizes that these threats have been neglected for far too long.”

The Center and allies sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in February to secure today’s deadlines.

Spring-run Chinook salmon are a preferred and primary food for Southern Resident orcas, which are themselves listed as endangered, having a population of only 73 individuals. Diminishing salmon numbers and smaller body sizes of spring Chinook means that fish-eating orcas must travel farther and work harder to find sufficient food. Pacific Northwest orcas have suffered in recent years from malnourishment and reproductive failures.