The D.C. Circuit affirmed summary judgment for NMFS in a challenge to the agency's adoption of the 2016 Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology for fisheries in the northeastern United States. An environmental group argued that the 2016 methodology violated the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) because ...

A district court granted FWS' motion to dismiss a challenge brought by an environmental group concerning conservation of the lesser prairie chicken. The group argued that FWS unreasonably delayed submitting to Congress a 2003 policy concerning conservation efforts when making listing decisions under...

A district court dismissed a lawsuit brought by conservation groups challenging FWS' 2017 enhancement finding that overturned a previous ban on the importation of elephant trophies from Zimbabwe. Conservation groups challenged the finding, which concluded that hunting elephants in Zimbabwe enhanced ...

A district court dismissed a lawsuit brought by California farming and ranching groups challenging FWS' designation of 1.8 million acres of critical habitat for two endangered yellow-legged frog species and the threatened Yosemite toad. The groups argued that FWS did not evaluate the effects of the ...

In an unpublished opinion, a state appellate court rejected animal protection groups' challenge to the New Jersey Fish and Game Council's adoption of a black bear management policy that proposed a second annual bear hunt, increased the number of hunting permits, and allowed bow hunting. The groups a...

A district court granted an environmental group's request to enforce the court's previous order that NMFS issue a new catch rule for northern anchovy that complies with the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) and the APA. The group argued that the agency had not complied with the order and requested that the...

The Federal Circuit upheld a ban on the importation from Mexico of shrimp and other seafood caught with gillnets or within the range of the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. A lower court issued a preliminary injunction requiring the Department of Commerce to ban importation of all shrimp, cur...

A district court granted in part and denied in part environmental groups' motion for summary judgment relating to a proposal to permit hydraulic fracturing operations off the coast of California. The groups argued that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the Bureau of Safety and Environmen...

A district court permanently enjoined FWS from taking endangered red wolves in a challenge against the agency's authorizations of takes of the species on private property. Environmental groups argued that the agency violated the ESA by authorizing lethal takes on private property without first makin...

A district court granted in part environmental groups' motion for summary judgment in a challenge to FWS' administration of a wildlife export program under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The groups argued that the agency violated NEPA when it did not prepare an ...