POTUS War On Delta Smelt Includes Likely Cutting Off Funds For Breeding Programs
The maligned native fish, the threatened Delta smelt and one of President Donald Trump’s enemies of the water these days, might be the fish most hated aquatic creature by an elected official since Amity Island Mayor Larry Vaughn’s disdain for the shark in Jaws.
As Trump has blamed California’s political leaders for putting smelt and other endangered fish ahead of what the President’s administration believes was cutting off water to Southern California fire crews as they battled the recent devastating blazes, despite that claim being dismissed by many experts in rthe field. As the Center for Biological Diversity said,
“The Bay Delta, home to threatened species like the Chinook salmon and delta smelt, is routinely targeted by harmful infrastructure projects and water diversions. Communities near the Delta depend on a healthy river system for local agriculture, drinking water and recreation needs. Drawing more water from the Delta would’ve had no bearing on the L.A. fires.”
The Trump administration continues to wage battle against the smelt. From the San Francisco Chronicle. which reports a cancelation of funding for smelt breeding programs.

Here are some details from the Chronicle’s Kurtis Alexander:
UC Davis scientists who run the little-known Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory in Contra Costa County were told last month that their financing from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, to maintain a refuge population of smelt for research and fish recovery, will not be renewed, university officials told the Chronicle. The funding expires Feb. 28. The bureau did not provide a reason, the UC Davis officials said.
University officials say they have enough money from other funding sources to continue the smelt conservation program in some form, probably through the end of the year. But they would need additional dollars to carry on any longer. They’ve already notified 11 of the lab’s 17 employees that they’ll likely be let go when the federal money lapses, indicating a major cutback in operations. …
“The UC Davis Fish Culture and Conservation Laboratory’s work is vital for the long-term health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the endangered aquatic life currently at the site, including the delta smelt,” university spokesman Bill Kisliuk said in an email to the Chronicle. “We are disappointed that the current Bureau of Reclamation grant has not been renewed for this facility.”
Trump’s aggressive water policy agenda for California could be the final death blow for not only smelt but the state’s Central Valley salmon, which have been in such dire straits that the previous two fishing seasons were canceled. with 2025’s status unknown heading into the Pacific Fishery Management Council meetings that will begin on March 4 in Vancouver, Washington.