It’s tiny, it’s silver and it’s at the center of a decades-long controversy over California’s water system. It’s the delta ...

For a small fish only found in the San Francisco Estuary, the delta smelt has caused a lot of controversy over the years.

A Trump executive order directs agencies to 'to route more water' across the state. But some say there's a lot more at stake.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order to allow federal agencies to override state policies to maximize water amid the Los Angeles wildfires.

And it aligns with his broader anti-environmental agenda.” Followers of California water politics have long known the delta smelt as a key indicator species for the health of a fragile ecosystem.

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on January 20, 2025 (main) and a Delta smelt fish (inset). Anna Moneymaker/Rich Pedroncelli/Getty/AP Photo California's water ...

In 1993, the smelt was listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act and the California Endangered Species Act, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website.

It's an attempt to change the environmental protections of the smelt, a three-inch-long fish once vital to California's ecosystem but now nearly extinct, and criticize the state's efforts while ...

President Donald Trump is taking executive action to override California's "actively harmful ... such as the Delta smelt. The order comes just weeks after Trump accused Gov.