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. 

Other fish conservation news:

• California Department of Fish and Wildlife: News release: Endangered Southern California steelhead trout rescued from fire-impacted Topanga Creek​
• Heal the Bay: Blog: Saving tidewater gobies: Rescue after Palisades fire