Recent reports show no Delta smelt has been observed in the wild since around 2012. Due to the significant population decline, many scientists have considered the species functionally extinct in its natural habitat. The decline was caused by factors like water diversions, invasive species, and changing environmental conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Water Is Diverted for a Basically Extinct Fish
A 2021 report by Dan Bacher in the Sacramento News revealed that no Delta Smelt has been seen in the wild since 2012.
The last time Delta smelt – an indicator species for the broader ecological health estuary – was found in CDFW’s September survey was in 2015. Only five were caught by state biologists at the time.
After that, the only year that Delta smelt were caught during the four-month survey was in 2016. Eight smelt were found.
The two-inch-long minnow, the Delta Smelt, led misguided Democrats to keep water from flowing to the farmers. […]
— Read More: www.independentsentinel.com
