Endangered Species Law & Policy

On February 17, 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its final decision to remove the Oregon chub (Oregonichthys crameri) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The decision to delist the chub also removes designated critical habitat for the chub throughout its range.

The Oregon chub is endemic to the Willamette River drainage of western Oregon. The Service listed the Oregon chub as endangered on October 18, 1993. The Service designated critical habitat for the chub in a final rule published on March 10, 2010. On April 23, 2010, the Service published a final rule reclassifying the chub as threatened.   The Service’s decision to delist the chub is based on its finding that the species has recovered and no longer meets the definition of an endangered or threatened species under the ESA, and that threats to the species have been eliminated or reduced such that chub populations are stable.