Little Fish, Big Problems

Without more freshwater flows, the tiny and endangered delta smelt could soon be a literal fish out of water

The delta smelt is a tiny silver fish with an oversized amount of problems. To begin with, this fish is on the brink of extinction, and may not survive the next few years. It also faces threats such as getting sucked into giant pumps that divert water south, or trapped by predators when the pumps pull river flows backwards. As if that was not bad enough, the extended drought has ravaged California over four years, making fresh water scarce, and massive water diversions are making the delta smelt’s habitat way too salty. Add to that the fact that the delta smelt has become the poster child for water wars waged in the halls of Congress, and it all stacks up pretty poorly for the little fish that was once considered a bellwether of the overall health of the San Francisco Bay Estuary, the largest estuary on the west coast of the Americas.

We are seeking relief for the delta smelt. Instead of ensuring that this fish gets the water it needs to survive, the federal and state agencies have continued to tip the scales against the delta smelt by allowing more and more water to be diverted away from the San Francisco Bay Estuary. Today Defenders of Wildlife joined with the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Bay Institute to call upon the California State Water Resources Board to issue an emergency ruling to save this endangered fish by providing it with more of the freshwater flows it needs. By sending more water to the San Francisco Bay Estuary to help the smelt survive, the water board will also improve the overall health of the estuary.

In June, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined the minimum water levels needed to support delta smelt. But state (California Department of Water Resources) and federal (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation) water management agencies are not providing enough water to create those habitat conditions. Instead, water is being diverted from key waterways that feed into the San Francisco Bay Estuary. So we’re asking California’s water board to step up and adopt emergency regulations bring more freshwater flows into the estuary to restore the habitat conditions that the delta smelt need to survive.

The fight here is not just about saving the delta smelt. It is a fight to save the San Francisco Bay Estuary and all of the fish and wildlife that live there. The fish and wildlife agencies recognized that when they called for more water, and we have joined in that call with our request to the water board.

Will the water board respond? We sure hope so.