Wild Fish Conservancy, Washington State Enter Consent Decree

Washington state’s fish and wildlife department will fund snorkel surveys of the steelhead population in Skykomish River and Tolt River, under a consent decree it entered with Wild Fish Conservancy.

The decree was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington on Thursday after the nonprofit group filed a complaint against the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2021. The group alleged that the department violated the Endangered Species Act by taking endangered fish and implementing fish hatchery programs throughout the state without seeking review or approval under the law. The organization and tribes assert ...