For a small fish only found in the San Francisco Estuary, the delta smelt has caused a lot of controversy over the years.

Followers of California water politics have long known the delta smelt as a key indicator species for the health of a fragile ecosystem. The fish started to become controversial in the 1980s when ...

Donald Trump has derided the Delta smelt as a "worthless fish," blaming efforts to protect the species for the devastating Los Angeles wildfires on social media, in a press conference, and even a ...

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on January 20, 2025 (main) and a Delta smelt fish (inset). President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on ...

It's an attempt to change the environmental protections of the smelt, a three-inch-long fish once vital to California's ecosystem but now nearly extinct, and criticize the state's efforts while ...

such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which seeks to minimize water infrastructure to protect certain fish species, such as the Delta smelt. The order comes just weeks after Trump accused Gov.

For a small fish found only in the San Francisco Estuary, the Delta smelt has caused much controversy over the years, ranging from lawsuits to executive orders. What is the history of the Delta smelt?

But the Delta smelt -- a small, translucent fish considered a "sentinel" species that indicates the health of its Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta habitat -- is not a culprit. "It was once one of ...