Officials at the fisheries division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are working on a long-range plan that could lead to delisting fall chinook in the Snake River.
The Lewiston Tribune reports that officials for the first time are setting down precise standards that must be met for the fish to be taken off the endangered species list.
But officials say it's a long process with many hurdles.
The decision will take into account wild fish abundance as well as their distribution, genetic diversity and distribution.
Officials are predicting more than 47,000 fall chinook could return past Lower Granite Dam this year, and that more than 34,000 of those could be wild fish.