Friday October 27, 2023
Center for Biological Diversity —
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has rejected a challenge from a water agency seeking to strip protections from the Southern California steelhead. The ruling adopted on Tuesday allows legal protections for the imperiled fish to continue until the California Fish and Game Commission makes a decision on permanent protections.
“We are thrilled to see the court uphold CalTrout’s science-driven petition to list southern steelhead under the California Endangered Species Act,” said Walter “Redgie” Collins, legal and policy director at CalTrout. “Southern steelhead are in dire need of state protections and today the court ruling got us one stop closer to that goal.”
In 2022 the commission voted to grant Southern California steelhead candidate status under the California Endangered Species Act following a petition from CalTrout. The designation offers temporary protections for the fish, including restrictions on development that could harm steelhead.