A small translucent fish among rocks underwater.
President-elect Donald Trump is blaming water rules in California that protect the Delta smelt for the wildfires that have decimated Los Angeles. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

The Delta smelt, the 3-inch fish that’s been one of President Donald Trump’s favorite targets, will live on — at least in the tanks at UC Davis.

Trump thoroughly bashed the smelt as he returned to office in January. He blamed smelt preservation efforts for taking water that, in his opinion, could be better used by people.

But despite the administration’s views, the Bureau of Reclamation announced this week it recently gave UC Davis a five-year financial assistance agreement to continue support of its Delta smelt hatchery.

It’s “work that helps (the Bureau of) Reclamation meet regulatory requirements to maximize water supplies from the Delta,” the agency said a statement emailed to Stocktonia.

The bureau is known principally for maintaining the nation’s water resources and network of dams.

Four small silver fish lined up on a white surface with a ruler showing numbers 7 through 9.
The Delta smelt are an indicator species of the overall health of the Delta ecosystem. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

UC Davis’ work is considered crucial because of fears that the smelt will become extinct. It could happen if water releases for farming, fire control and everyday use in California are strained under Trump or any future administration.

To keep the smelt in existence, the university’s Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory was created in 1996.

Its work has become more important with the passing years. The Delta species has shown what researchers term an “alarming dropoff” in numbers since 2007. It was then “the state Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Service suggested it was time to culture the species under genetically sound management,” the lab says on its website.