Wednesday February 5, 2025
San Francisco Chronicle —
Following President Trump’s recent criticism of the delta smelt — a fish he has tied to the lack of water for fighting the Los Angeles fires — his administration is planning to cut funding for a captive breeding program intended to ensure survival of the endangered fish.
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 reintroduction, 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 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 significant cutback in operations.
Managers of the lab are still figuring out their future and that of the smelt.