Wednesday June 17, 2026
Center for Biological Diversity —
A court has rejected a water agency challenge to state endangered species protections for the Southern California steelhead.
The United Water Conservation District had challenged the California Fish and Game Commission’s decision to list the imperiled fish as endangered. The Los Angeles County Superior Court ruling late last week upholds the protections granted by the state.
“The court recognized the science showing the plight of this struggling fish and upheld the protections needed to stave off extinction,” said Evan Levy, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Development, dams and water diversions have threatened this species so deeply that only a handful of spawning southern steelhead have been seen in recent years. Now that these state protections have survived legal challenge, I’m looking forward to a new chapter for these remarkably complex fish.”
The Center, along with California Trout and the Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation, intervened in the lawsuit to uphold steelhead protections.
“The fish is at serious risk of extinction due to habitat destruction from poorly planned development and damaging water infrastructure. The Southern steelhead is a resilient species, but it needs our help,” said Redgie Collins, vice president of legal and government affairs at California Trout. “This listing, backed by rigorous scientific data collection, is one key part of the puzzle needed for recovery.”