NMFS has completed an Endangered Species Act (ESA) status review for Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), Pacific hake (Merluccius productus), and walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) populations from the eastern North Pacific Ocean between Puget Sound, Washington, and southeast Alaska. After reviewing available scientific and commercial information, NMFS has determined that none of the petitioned populations in Puget Sound constitute "species" under the ESA. The agency concludes that these populations are part of larger distinct population segments (DPSs) that qualify as species under the ESA but do not warrant listing as threatened or endangered at this time. However, NMFS is adding the Georgia Basin Pacific hake DPS to the agency's list of candidate species because of remaining uncertainties about its stock structure and status.